Jeff

Sponsor me for March of Dimes WalkAmerica

I'm going to be walking on April 28, 2007 for the March of Dimes WalkAmerica. It's a great charity and their work is (reason enough to support them), but I also have a personal reason for making this walk.

Katie, my youngest daughter was born in September, 2004, 7 weeks early. She only weighed 3 lbs. 2.3 oz. when she arrived, so she had to spend about six weeks in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) before we were allowed to take her home.

Even after we took her home, we had to isolate her during her first winter to minimize her chances of developing RSV (Respiratory Syncitial Virus), the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia among infants and children under 1 year of age. RSV can cause all sorts of problems during someone's life and preemies are especially vulnerable.

Luckily, Katie hasn't had any real problems as a result of her early birth. But others aren't so lucky. During Katie's stay in the NICU, we met many parents whose preemies were having a hard time. Many of them will have major medical problems for the rest of their lives.

If it wasn't for the March of Dimes, many of these children (including our Katie) probably wouldn't live at all. For many years, they have been at the forefront of research into the causes of premature births, and they have done a lot to help those who are born prematurely. In fact, they are directly responsible for the existence of NICUs.

So now I support them by participating in WalkAmerica.

If you'd like to sponsor me, please go to my WalkAmerica webpage and make a pledge.