More than a dozen local women from Gaston, Lincoln and Mecklenburg counties have launched a campaign on YouTube in order to raise awareness about the prevalence of miscarriages, stillbirths, infant death and other issues such as infertility.
Each woman has her own story.
Ashley Sapp’s began September 2016, when the expectant mother said she miscarried twins days after a crash in Stanley, North Carolina.
“The drunk driver came around the corner,” Sapp’s recalled.
Stanley Police said Bruno Souza was impaired when he crossed the center line on Sunset Road and collided head-on with a vehicle carrying Sapp and her husband. Sapp said at the time she was 14 weeks pregnant with twins.
“The seat belt jarred me pretty bad so the first thing I went to was my stomach,” she said.
Sapp said she went to the hospital and it appeared all was OK, but four days later, while at church, Sapp said she started experiencing a lot of pain.
The next visit to the hospital was one she’ll never forget.
“That’s when they told me I miscarried,” Sapp said. “It completely changed my life. I went through depression. I went through anxiety.”
Souza is facing DWI and open-container charges but nothing related to Sapp’s miscarriage, according to court records.
Channel 9 checked and prosecutors say a set of laws exist in North Carolina meant to protect unborn victims, but the challenge is often in causation.
“The burden will be on the state to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the crash in this case resulted in the death of the unborn,” said Isaac Avery with the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys.
Investigators did said they’re waiting on additional tests and based on those results, additional charges are possible. No further detail was provided.
Sapp said she hopes to have more closure by April, when her twins would have been born.
Meanwhile, she's focusing on her campaign and wants others facing the same struggle to know they're not alone.
“I want people to know it is OK to talk about your miscarriage,” Sapp said.
Souza is due in court Feb. 3, according to court documents. Channel 9 reached out to his listed attorney but did not hear back at the time this article was written. Calls to Souza’s listed number would not go through.