A mother's love: Sumter mom / grandmother strives to raise awareness about maternal mortality due to preeclampsia

A mother's love is a force of nature, unwavering and eternal. It's a bond that wraps you in a warm embrace, even in the darkest moments. This is a story of such love - a love that perseveres through loss and transforms grief into hope.

Lashon June said her daughter was nothing short of special.

"Shaquilla - that was the beauty queen, that was our queen," Lashon said with a smile. "She kept you laughing, she kept you on your toes."

Shaquilla June, born Aug. 13, 1991, was a Sumter High School graduate who went on to attend Central Carolina Technical College to earn a degree in medical assistance. Before long, Shaquilla would celebrate that she was expecting a baby boy, and her mother can still feel her excitement.

"She loved kids, and she was looking forward to being here with her baby."

Everything seemed fine until Shaquilla reached her third trimester. A blood test showed the 29-year-old developed gestational diabetes, one of the signs of high blood pressure. Lashon June said this was unheard of for Shaquilla.

"My baby was always healthy. There were no medical issues; all this stuff came about after the pregnancy."

Shaquilla's doctor started her on insulin and referred her to a clinic for regular monitoring on top of her OBGYN appointments, Lashon said. Shaquilla began to swell, so much she could barely walk, and the whites of her eyes had begun to turn a different color.

"That's not normal, it's not normal," Lashon said.

In May 2021, the clinic told Shaquilla she needed to go to the hospital immediately, as she was at risk of developing preeclampsia, a hazardous condition of high blood pressure that can threaten the life of both mother and baby. It is also one of the leading causes of maternal deaths worldwide, with Black women being three to four times more likely to die from preeclampsia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"We didn't know [anything] about preeclampsia, nothing," Lashon said. It wasn't until she was handed her daughter's discharge papers that she found out what was wrong.

Thinking she would receive regular monitoring, instead, Shaquilla was induced - three weeks earlier than her initial due date. On May 13, 2021, Shaquilla gave birth to her son, Johnathan. Two days later, Shaquilla, who Lashon said was not feeling quite back to herself, was released from the hospital on May 15.

The following day, Lashon rushed her daughter back to the hospital because of fluid buildup and her not feeling well. Though Shaquilla walked in on her own, hospital staff knew something was amiss and rushed her for treatment. When Lashon saw her again, her daughter was in pain and crying.

Shaquilla was unable to speak coherently. With one final look at Lashon and her baby, Shaquilla passed away surrounded by family on May 16. Lashon said the cause of death was an enlarged heart and other complications.

Johnathan, now age 3, has only seen his mother through pictures.

Lashon retired after 28 years as a corrections officer on May 6, 2021, to spend more time with her family amid Shaquilla's health issue - a surprise she was waiting to tell her family about until after Shaquilla gave birth in June.

"But I got the surprise," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "I thought I could tell them any time, I got until June or July to surprise them. Not knowing she was going to leave from here … I know God has his appointed time for each and every one of us. But a lot of times, you can go too soon."

The road through grief is not easy. It's filled with ups and downs, and you never know what each day will bring. For Lashon, it's been about taking it one step at a time - and this next step will be about raising awareness in hopes of saving the life of another mother.

The Shaquilla Sherrele June Foundation was founded to raise awareness of maternal mortality and the warning signs associated with preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, high blood pressure and other side effects during pregnancy and after delivery. Donations to the foundation will be used to further community education and provide children of mothers who have passed because of health complications with scholarships and resources for education.

Lashon and her team of supporters hosted the inaugural Preeclampsia Awareness Gala on Aug. 10, bringing doctors and organizations to educate families, parents and mothers, especially, on the warning signs of preeclampsia.

"If this didn't happen to my daughter, I probably could look at a pregnant girl all day long and wouldn't think nothing about maternal warning signs, preeclampsia, none of that. But now, because I went through it with my daughter, I can almost look at a person and say, 'You need to get checked out,'" Lashon said.

Deep down, Lashon thinks Shaquilla's death could have been prevented. And while she misses her daughter daily, she found peace in knowing the light of her daughter shines brightly within her "miracle baby" Johnathan.

"I'm still grieving my daughter, and it's rough. And then every day I see Johnathan, I thank God. He's an angel; God blessed us to have him," Lashon shared.

As the family moves forward with efforts to spread awareness and provide hope to families and children who have been left behind, the process won't be easy but will be well worth it for Lashon if it prevents another mother from leaving too soon.

"Everybody needs to be educated on these maternal warning signs. That's how you prevent this from happening," Lashon expressed. "Hopefully, we're going to save somebody's life."

Anyone interested in donating can do so to $LashonJune on Cashapp.