Singer Christina Perri's stillbirth leads to advocacy and LA County's APS Awareness Day
Singer-songwriter Christina Perri joined the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday to raise awareness of Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS).
Perri was diagnosed with APS after suffering a miscarriage in 2019 and the stillbirth of her daughter Rosie in 2020.
"My baby girl Rosie's heart had stopped beating just weeks before my due date," Perri said to the board. "I birthed her, I held her, I said goodbye. It was the absolute worst experience I could have ever imagined."
APS is a treatable autoimmune condition in which the body produces antiphospholipid antibodies that increase the risk of blood clots. During pregnancy, these antibodies can raise the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, and other complications.
Perri said her obstetrician suggested she be tested for APS after her second loss; she had suffered a miscarriage the year before. She said she was relieved with the diagnosis and sad, because it's preventable.
"If I had known I had APS, I would have taken a blood thinner, and Rosie would be here," Perri said.
APS can be detected through a blood test and treated with blood thinners. According to the county, the condition accounts for 15% of recurrent pregnancy loss, but testing is not part of routine prenatal screening.
"After a year and a half of grief work, therapy and lots of prayers, I did get pregnant again and this time I took blood thinner, and Pixie Rose, my double rainbow baby, arrived safely in October of 2022," Perri said. "Carmella got her little sister."
The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion by Supervisor Janice Hahn proclaiming Nov. 24, 2026, as APS Awareness Day in Los Angeles County. The day would have been Rosie's birthday.
The motion also calls for the departments of public health and health services to make APS information easier to find on their websites, including details on the condition, who may be at higher risk, and testing and treatment.
"Let's make a change, so no one has to have my story again," Perri said.
Perri is known for songs including "Jar of Hearts," "A Thousand Years," and "Human."
