How my mission (MOD) became your mission

The mission of the March of Dimes is to make sure every baby has its full nine months. I was touched by this mission when my son was born two months too soon. I personally planned on Marching for Healthy Babies while I was laying in a hospital bed sometime last May. I assumed it would be me who walked.

Much to my delight, surprise and amazement, my walk became "our" walk. My team grew before I even told people there was one. I hadn't even told Brian the dates and Team Gunner was three strong. My mother in law and a co-worker had already joined. As much as I was tickled by the team members, I was equally blown away by the donations received. Our team was at $200 before the end of January...the march was in April.

When I talked about prenatal development in my classes, I found not one, but SIX students who were the parent of a premature baby. When you add in the students who had a friend, sibling or relative who had a premature baby the total rose to about 12. Needless to say, students at SMC have been touched with the mission of the March of Dimes. Various fundraising efforts including pizza and sundae socials and a student manned a booth at Campus Bash hosting a cutest baby contest raised over $400 dollars for the March of Dimes. SMC faculty also donated over $200.

I guest lectured at the Van Buren Tech Center about prematurity. Many of the students there will become SMC students; they too were inspired to action. They held a week long cutest baby contest, sold T-shirts and awareness bands raising over $900. A student from Watervaliet High School took this mission on her own and got permission from her HS administrators to do a hat and pajama day at school and brought in another $120. We had the largest team there because over 20 students showed up over 50 miles from home to walk!

So needless to say, this was initially my mission, but it became so many other's as well.

On April 17th, Team Gunner comprised of family and friends who were touched by the premature birth marched on to make an impact on the goals of the March of Dimes. Together, we had the largest team of walkers there and raised over $3000 to help every baby get their full nine months.

Today we march....

Today we march. We march for healthier babies, for families torn by the NICU experience, for angel babies too perfect for this world, for families who experience the loss of a child, for mother’s who have to pump instead of nursing their babies, because other than that they are helpless in the care of their baby, for father’s who pace the halls and stand by their baby’s mother in fear of what is next, for preemies of ALL gestational ages and levels of health, and for anyone touched by the mission of the march of dimes.

We began this crusade sometime during my hospital bedrest stay. I was reading a blog, which moved me to tears, on how an amazing little boy and his parents decided to pay it forward. (Yes, we have all seen the movie) In lieu of birthday gifts, Robbie requested shower type gifts and scrap booking supplies for the families in the NICU. On his big day they delivered a carload of cupcakes and all of the donations made by his family and friends to the Hospital he was born at. At that moment, I knew I too, had to pay it forward.

So in December when they announced the dates of the Kalamazoo area walks, I marked my calendar and started my team. As of my tally last night, which does not include everything, we have raised over $2700.

What will that money go to? Funny you should wonder, because I have a story to go with that. Today, one of my team mates mentioned that her neighbor has a child who was born in the 20’s (weeks that is, not sure when) and has CP. She questioned herself when my team member asked her to donate, why she hadn’t done anything for the March of Dimes. She quickly answered herself…saying she never used their services. I have to beg to differ. I am the proud mother of 2 and aunt of 6..and 1/3. Each of those babies has benefited from the MOD’s research.

§ Not one of those mother’s took a drink of alcohol during pregnancy, why because the MOD’s research made Dr’s aware of the consequences of consuming alcohol in pregnancy (1973)
§ Not one of those babies left the hospital without newborn screening, that looks for 21 of the 29 life-threatening (if not detected) illnesses to newborns. The MOD has pushed for this since the early 80’s.
§ Every one of those mothers took prenatal vitamins with at least 800 mg of folic acid in them, because the MOD research showed the link between folic acid and neural tube health, decreasing defects by about 30%.
If Gunner should have had problems breathing at birth, which thank God he didn’t, he would have been treated with a artificial form of surfactant, which keeps the lungs inflated, which was also developed by MOD research.

So, rest assured, the money will go to a great use!

MOD t-s are in!

Our Family Team shirts are in...Gunner is in charge of distribution

Here is my baby, who could be a model, modelling the smallest size available!

Marching for Babies...3 weeks to go!

Our family is forming a March for Babies Family Team to help the March of Dimes work towards the day when all babies are born healthy. We are writing today to ask you to join us!

We are forming our team in honor of our son, Gunner, who was born 2 month too soon. My water broke at 28 weeks and we held on until we hit 33 weeks. He spent 39 days in the NICU at Bronson. He was born unable to maintain his temperature, unable to eat (prior to the sucking reflex even developing), and had to have IV antibiotics and feeds. He had a very high billirubin count, requiring phototherapy and suffered from anemia, and still does. By sharing our story, we hope to remind everyone of the urgency of the mission of the March of Dimes and inspire our friends and family to join our team.

Ours is not the only story of frightening, touch-and-go days in neonatal intensive care with our baby. In fact, I know that many babies are born much earlier and have a much more treacherous rollercoaster ride in the NICU, and of course, there are the angel babies who are born way too soon and earn their wings before they bless their parents with their first cry. We are thankful for each day of hellish and uncertain bedrest that I endured at Spectrum and Bronson, because each day was equivilent to 3 days longer Gunner would have been in the NICU. This is why we walk.

Premature birth touches half a million babies and their families every year. Babies born too soon are more likely to die or have disabilities. Birth defects pose another serious threat – taking the lives of many babies and cause lifelong disabilities for thousands more. So it’s important for us to help the March of Dimes help moms have full-term pregnancies and healthy babies.We are doing just that by participating in March for Babies as a Family Team. No one is working harder than the March of Dimes to understand the causes of prematurity and birth defects. March for Babies offers hope by raising funds for lifesaving research, education and innovative programs that offer hope for preventions and solutions for babies born too soon or with birth defects.

Won’t you join our Family Team at this wonderful event? Call me for further details, or go to http://www.marchforbabies.org/ register online. Our team name is affectionately named TeamGunner. If you can’t join us, please consider sponsoring our team with your donation. Just log on to my personal web page www.marchforbabies.org/teamgunner or send a check payable to the March of Dimes to me. Every dollar makes a difference!

One day all babies will be born healthy. But we’ll have to walk to get there! Thank you for your help.

22 days till we March!

I am very excited and so blessed to have a reason to celebrate this march! I am blown away by the generosity and support from all of my family and friends!

We will be looking stylish in our new t-shirts ordered and coordinated by my unofficial co-captain Karen!

Here are a few words from our sponsors:

Here's to Gunner Young - a happy, healthy, BIG BOY! Here's to all preemies and their parents - we wish you all long-term health and happiness :)The McCauley's- From Stacy McCauley

Christi I as so sorry I can't walk with you. If you walk again I would like the opportunity to walk. Good luck. Angie- From angela barber

To Team Gunner; AKA Little Man!- From PaPa Young

I hope this helps a little!- From Margie Waird

MOD Kickoff

It is official....I have obviously been in denial. Denial that I am a preemie mom, yes I act the part and hibernate from germs, sanitize sterilize, see a difference in Gunner's milestone attainment...but everyday, he is a fat, healthy, and strong baby. Any outsider would never guess he is a preemie. I guess I have fallen into this mindset too, all too quickly forgetting the struggle we had to get him where he is today.

Last night, I was reminded. I went to the MOD kickoff meeting...just walking around, looking at little kids that were once preemies, meeting the ambassador family (twins born at 23 weeks 6 days, one a sweet tiny 4 year old girl, the other an angel boy), pictures on the wall, the film promoting the walk....I was a mess, unexpectedly, but very publicly...bawling. It was wonderful, but hard too.

I am even more passionate now, humbling to remember how far we have come!

I am so grateful for everyone who has pledged their support or already made a donation to our team, but if you haven't, please consider it. You can join our team by clicking this link.

If you choose to donate in lieu of walking, here are some amounts to consider:

$7, $1 for each week Gunner should have spent in the belly past when he was born

$23.10, 10-cents a day for each day Gunner was in utero (this should be a $40 donation, if he were full term)

$39, $1 a day for each day Gunner was in the NICU

$51, $1 for each week I was on bedrest, in total fear of the outcome

Gunner and his parents thank you...

New Years Resolution: Healthier me, Healthier Babies

I don't think I have ever been really happy to see a new year or sad to see one go, but I can tell you 2009 has been a rollercoaster of a year for us.

On January 1 of 2009, we knew that we were excitedly completing our family. But, there was no way we would have ever dreamed that we would have a premature baby, early, maybe by a few days, not months.

We had no way of predicting that our family would be ripped apart with hospital bedrest for six weeks. An almost three year old would be tossed back and forth between family members to accomodate Mommy not being there. The same child who had up to that time never spent a night away from either of his parents.

We had no idea what the NICU was about. Surrounded by babies born way too soon, some of them to never come home.

So, instead of making the same old resolution that I often make regarding healthy choices, I am going to take that one step further. A choice that will make myself as well as babies healthier. I am resolving to create a team, participate in the March of Dimes March for Babies walk, and hit my goal of $1000 for my team. I am so excited.

You can access our team page, affectionately called TeamGunner , named after the little man that inspired this all. He is such a success story, but who knows what could have or would have been if only one variable had changed. Please check it out and consider walking with us or making a small donation. It's only 3 miles!!!

Whoo hooo

I am sooo stinkin excited...I have my first team member on my March for Babies Campaign! Without any solicitation, one of my colleagues who has admittedly followed my blog thru the ordeal of this summer, has joined my team and I have yet to solicit any participation whatsoever. Whoo hooo.

Don't feel left out you will get your invite too. I was just wanting everyone to be able to enjoy their holiday season and then plead for participation in one way or another come the beginning of the year!

If you want to see what I am talking about, check out Team Gunner here.