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The power of women

Recently I was blessed with the opportunity to participate in a Womens Retreat in Santa Cruz, California. The Female Factor group partnered up with the Women's Bleeding Disorders Coalition (WBDC) to co-host an evening of food, laughter, education and ended the evening with some gentle yoga! 
Amazing group of women

I headed off for the retreat early on a Friday morning. It was cold and rainy and no signs of sunshine were on the horizon, but I left my house eager for what the day had to hold and was ready for some girl time. I live about 2 hours from Santa Cruz and was picking up the president of WBDC on the way, whom was flying in from Texas for the event. . . 
Selfie by the Board Walk
We were both eager to get to Santa Cruz and see what was on the agenda for the day. We knew we would be meeting up with one of the co-founders of the Female Factor group whom had an amazing lunch prepared for us once we got to her house. We caught up, filled our tummies and worked on the goody bags for the retreat. After that, we headed down to the Santa Cruz beach boardwalk. 

 The rain was pouring down and the waves were crashing, but it was beautiful. I hadn't been to this part of California for ages, and as we slowly approached the ocean I was reminded of the majestic tranquility of this town. . .what a spectacular place to host such a majestic evening. After checking out the Board Walk we headed over to our hotel. 




Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Up until Thursday night I was still unsure of my plans and was planning on driving all the way home on Friday night. Financial hardship made it impossible for me to afford spending the night, so you could imagine my excitement when I got a call Thursday night saying a hotel would be waiting for me and the president of WBDC. I had just come off of a very stressful month and could barely process what was being told to me until I got off the phone. . .Once I did, I just started to cry. Being able stay in town that night truly made it feel like a much needed getaway and the hotel was a wonderful bonus. 

 After checking in to the hotel and freshening up it was already time to head to the Women's Retreat that was starting at 5pm. When we arrived at the Cultural Center we entered a quiet, quaint room where we sat in a circle and could engage in conversation easily. There were about 20 of us in all, and we started off the evening going around the room and introducing ourselves. We heard from amazing women that have lost loved ones-children, siblings, parents, or even their right to have children because of a bleeding disorder. They all shared their stories so willingly and with such bravery.

After everyone gave their introductions we were given a very informative speech on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Gabriella Grant, the director, of the California Center of Excellence for Trauma Informed Care spoke to us about the affects of trauma and how our body processes it. We learned about the difference between grief and trauma and safe coping skills when we are feeling the effects of PTSD. It was amazing how many of us related to everything she was saying and I know we all walked away feeling more educated about this common stress disorder. 
Giving my speech

"Was such an informative, positive, and destressing evening! So great connecting with everything! Thank you to all our ladies whom put it together! Great evening!" -Sue

 While Gabby gave her speech we were all enjoying some amazing healthy, organic, vegetarian food prepared by Cafe Gratitude http://cafegratitude.com/ (sponsored by Bayer Health)



Not only was I fortunate enough to participate in this wonderful event, but being the PSPD ambassador for WBDC I was also given the opportunity to help spread awareness of Platelet Storage Pool Disorder and share our story. After Gabby was done talking to us about PTSD, the WBDC gave me the chance to stand up and educate others on our disorder. 

 After the learning segment of our night was over . . . We headed upstairs to the Yoga room. We ended the evening with Tammy guiding us through an hour of relaxing yoga that calmed our souls and opened up our hearts. It was truly amazing. I think it's safe to say that the we all walked away from the evening feeling educated, rejuvenated and thankful for the amazing opportunity. 

"It was such a fantastic evening!! Thank you so much for organizing such an inspiring and informative event! xxx" -Erika


After I gave my speech, I was presented with the WBDC Ambassador Certificate 


"It was transcending. I'm on another level because of last night. Omg and I had the best sleep ever" -Christa

Written by,
Kari Peepe
©KariPeepe/atouchofscarlett.blogspot.com
http://atouchofscarlett.blogspot.com
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