The Mace Anthony Williamson Foundation will host The Walk to Remember in St. Pete on September 18. The goal of the Walk to Remember is to honor all families grieving from fetal death, miscarriages, stillbirths, and through early infancy, to raise funds for their passionate nonprofit organization, and to honor the legacy of Maiye Waller’s sweet baby Mace.
Maiye Waller is using her tragic loss as inspiration to help others in her community. The Mace Anthony Williamson Foundation was founded in 2021 by Waller with the goal of supporting women through pregnancy, ensuring they receive a high level of care, and providing physical and emotional support for mothers who suffer infant loss or have newborns in the NICU.
ADVERTISEMENT
Maiye Waller aims to help mothers across the city, state, and country
Waller was inspired to start the foundation after the years it took to recover from the loss of her son Mace in 2017 due to procedural complications during childbirth. Waller was heartbroken to see her son go straight to the NICU immediately following his birth. A week later, she was given the terrible news: Mace was brain dead, a result of the failed vacuum-assisted attempt to bring him into the world.
Four years later, Waller is the mother of a healthy boy and girl, both delivered without issue. As she has healed, she has found her calling to help other women prevent a tragedy similar to her first pregnancy, and to give them support when loss is unavoidable.
“I hope to encourage moms and families to share their stories of loss and to prevent another first-time mom and her newborn baby from suffering the way I and my Mace ultimately had to,” Waller said. “I turned my tragedy into triumph, and I plan to tell my story and to potentially raise awareness to a to a cause that is far too heartbreaking, and a story far too unique to go silenced another second.”
Providing doulas for pregnant women who may not be able to afford that level of care
One of the primary aims of the non-profit foundation is to help provide doulas for pregnant women who may not otherwise be able to afford that level of care. Doulas are trained professionals who provide support, information and emotional and physical care during pregnancy, through childbirth and following birth. They also provide emotional support in the event of infant loss or significant medical issues with a newborn.
Long term, Waller hopes the Mace Anthony Williamson Foundation can help fund a community support center to promote mental health and provide support for women and families who have dealt with fetal death or babies in the NICU for extended stays.
As she launches the foundation, Waller has planned a kickoff fundraiser for this September, “The Walk To Remember,” a charity walk taking place in Gulfport on September 18th. Waller hopes that this initial fundraiser will be the first of many that can quickly help the Mace Anthony Williamson Foundation begin giving mothers and families the support she wishes she could have during and after her pregnancy with Mace. More information on The Walk To Remember can be found here online.
For more information or to offer support, Waller can be reached at maiye.waller@themawfoundation.org
ADVERTISEMENT
