[May 23, 2011] UW-Eau Claire alumna honored for founding CaringBridge website Tweet May 22, 2011 (The Leader-Telegram - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- After his wife fractured her neck last year falling down a flight of stairs at their Altoona home, Joe Lehnen said he got 70 to 80 phone calls a day from concerned friends. Then he found CaringBridge.org, a website launched in the late 1990s by UW-Eau Claire graduate Sona Mehring. The site allows people to provide updates on loved ones facing serious health challenges. Lehnen said CaringBridge was a godsend, letting him communicate with many people at once. "I have nothing but outstanding things to say about it," Lehnen said of the site. Mehring received an Alumni Distinguished Achievement Award on Saturday at a ceremony in UW-Eau Claire's Davies Center. The university's Alumni Association cited her work creating the nonprofit CaringBridge. She is the website's CEO. Mehring received a computer science degree in 1983. She launched CaringBridge in 1997 to help some friends -- whose child was born prematurely and died several days later -- connect with well-wishers. "It was born out of a personal experience," Mehring said of the site, which she said "instantly eased the burden of keeping everybody up to date" on the status of her friends' child. "I was very passionate about technology ... and continue to be passionate about the Internet and its ability to connect people," Mehring said. CaringBridge is considered an online social network -- something largely unheard of in 1997. The idea has caught on as of late, thanks to sites such as Facebook and Twitter, which allow people to stay connected on the Internet. "From that one tiny baby, (the site) has grown over the years," Mehring said, noting the site reaches millions of people worldwide. A new CaringBridge profile is created about every five minutes, she added. "It's been really cool to see how it's grown," said Nick Mehring, Sona's son. Lehnen set up a profile for his wife, Sheila, in October. Sheila fell down a stairway at her Altoona home Oct. 16 and was rushed to Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire. She had several fractures in her neck and has been paralyzed ever since, but is making progress, Joe Lehnen said. CaringBridge allows Lehnen to post photos and keep a running blog about his wife's status. Guests can leave well-wishes and sign an online guest book. Since October, people have paid nearly 9,000 visits to Sheila Lehnen's CaringBridge profile. "You can communicate conveniently once, and hundreds and hundreds of people will know," Joe said, adding people can get updates from the site on their cellphones and through email. "Every time I click on it, whether it's 3 in the morning or 10 at night, they get it." Mehring started as a nursing student at UW-Eau Claire but quickly switched to computer science. She said her interests in nursing and medicine have helped guide her website. Nick Mehring and James Hunter, Sona Mehring's nephew, both graduated from UW-Eau Claire on Saturday. Because of her Alumni Association award, Sona sat on the raised platform where students received their diplomas during the graduation ceremony. "She's always been there for me, and it's great that she gets to share this honor with me at graduation," Nick said. Sona was named one of 2011's "Most Influential Women in Technology" by FastCompany.com, which offers business-related news coverage. She lives in Minnesota. "It's really cool that my mom's a CEO; it's fun to say," Nick said. Bennett can be reached at 715-830-5832, 800-236-7077 or [email protected]. To see more of The Leader-Telegram or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.leadertelegram.com. Copyright (c) 2011, The Leader-Telegram, Eau Claire, Wis. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]