In 2011, Tara Hansen was a healthy 29-year-old special education teacher excited to welcome her first child with her husband, Ryan. Yet six days after their son’s birth, the unthinkable happened: Tara tragically died from childbirth complications. In the months that followed, Ryan was surprised to learn he was not alone in losing Tara—many women in the US die from childbirth, and most people are unaware of this risk. Since Tara dedicated her life to making an impact on others, Ryan wanted to do the same and founded the Tara Hansen Foundation to honor Tara’s life and raise awareness about maternal health. Today, the foundation is dedicated to advancing maternal health awareness and highlighting the importance of educating expecting parents about the risks to both mother and child during childbirth. We caught up with this Tinton Falls, NJ Dad of three to learn more about his late wife, how you can support the foundation, and what his life looks like today. (featured photo credit: Tara Hansen Foundation)
Tara Hansen at age 27. Photo Credit: Tara Hansen FoundationWhat led you to create The Tara Hansen Foundation? In 2011, I lost Tara due to complications from childbirth. She was just 29 years old. In the months following her passing, I slowly began to realize that this didn’t just happen to us. Initially, I felt like we were the exception. What I discovered is that in the US alone, we’re losing far too many women to childbirth. I felt that by telling Tara’s story and raising maternal health awareness for moms, partners, and family members, we could help reduce that number.
Can you share more about Tara and her story? Tara was a healthy, beautiful young woman who taught special education in her hometown of Freehold, New Jersey. She was always drawn to helping those who needed it most, and that truly showed in her work at the West Freehold School. She had a great pregnancy and embraced every step of it. During her delivery, Tara developed an infection that went unnoticed. By the time we presented at the emergency room, about 36 hours after being discharged from the hospital, her condition had worsened significantly. Ultimately, that infection led to her passing, only 6 days after giving birth to our son.
Ryan at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Photo Credit: Tara Hansen FoundationCan you tell us more about yourself? I currently live in Tinton Falls, New Jersey, with my wife, Mary, our three boys, Brandon, Dylan, and Liam, and our goldendoodle, Lucy. I graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in Communication and currently work as a social media professional in the healthcare industry. We spend most of our weekends watching our boys play sports. I also love coaching my kids’ teams, especially basketball. And I’m extremely fortunate to have Mary by my side for all of this, and to have her full support in helping mothers through the work of the foundation.
How can people support the foundation? First and foremost, talk to your family and friends who are expecting about what they can do to protect mom. Tell them about our foundation, research what to look out for, how to be prepared, and how to have a plan for mom. We have a video on our website documenting Tara’s story, and it’s a great resource for new parents. And talk to your physician. Have the difficult conversations with those caring for you, and be sure everyone is prepared not only for the child, but for mom as well.
What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced with the foundation? I think it always comes back to the fact that talking about maternal mortality and morbidity is a difficult conversation to have. No one wants to hear that mom may be in danger at any time during her pregnancy. But we lose women every day in the US to complications from childbirth, so these topics and discussions are very real. Many of these events can be prevented. From our perspective, it comes from raising maternal health awareness, shining a light on the issue, and having the tough conversations with your health care team. We need to ensure everyone is prepared to give mom the best experience possible.
What is one thing you want people to know about Tara and the foundation? Tara’s nature was always to care for others. We try to embody that same spirit she had for helping people through the foundation’s work. She has given us a road map to create change in what should be a fundamental right—giving birth and living to reap the benefits. This is her way of continuing to teach and care for others, the same way she would if she were still here.
