Born 14 weeks early, blue, limp and with a fading heart rate of 48 beats per minute, Ryan weighed 1 pound 9 ounces and was barely 13 inches long. He literally fit into the palm of my hands.

It was during my third pregnancy, at 26 weeks gestation, I came down with a bad case of the flu–or so I thought. Three days later I awoke with a violent headache, vomiting and partial loss of vision.

Dennis rushed me to the Emergency Room in Walla Walla, Washington where I was diagnosed with Pregnancy Induced Hypertension (PIH). My blood pressure was out of control. I was so focused on the headache that I didn't realize I was in active labor. Tests confirmed that our tiny baby was in distress. My life and that of our baby-to-be were both in jeopardy so arrangements were made for LifeFlight to come from Portland and return us to Oregon Health Sciences University and Doernbecher Children's Hospital. It was there that Ryan arrived fourteen weeks early by C-section.

Like all premature infants born under 28 weeks gestation, Ryan faced the increased risk of cerebral palsy, intracranial bleeding, blindness and breathing difficulties.

During the first 48 hours, Ryan struggled to overcome the serious breathing disorder, Respiratory Distress Syndrome, because his lungs were not fully developed. Luckily for Ryan, Doernbecher Hospital was one of four hospitals in the nation at the time taking part in a national study of Surfactant, a drug that helps the lungs of premature babies become more pliant and easier to absorb oxygen. The March of Dimes was instrumental in providing the money for the research and development of this life-changing drug. Surfactant Therapy helped stabilize Ryan's breathing resulting in his being on a mechanical respirator for only 12 days rather than weeks or months one would have normally expected at the time.

Due to his prematurity, Ryan also required several doses of Indomethicin, a drug used to correct PDA, a heart problem common in preemies. He also suffered from Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP). The doctors recommended surgery to address ROP when Ryan's eyes reached stage 3+. In a most unexpected, but pleasant, development, a pre-op exam on the morning of surgery revealed that the process was beginning to reverse itself. That meant that surgery could be avoided. And that was an indescribable relief for us all.

Once Ryan was physically strong enough to suck, I stayed with him so he could breast-feed rather than take a bottle. By the time he left the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, his chubby little cheeks made him look like a miniature Pillsbury Dough Boy.

Finally, ninety days after entering the world and struggling for life, Ryan came home where he was greeted by the rest of his family, Nathan, age 9, and Sydney, age 7. Weighing in at a whopping 3 lbs, 10 ounces and 15 inches long, Ryan was healthy and growing, but still small enough to fit in his sister's Nike shoebox. Our family was now complete.

Ryan, a 7th grader, just turned fourteen. He loves football, basketball, baseball, golf and skiing. The past two summers Ryan has driven tractor and bank-out wagon for our green pea and wheat harvest.

Each and every day, when we look at Ryan, our family is reminded of the great work the March of Dimes does to ensure the birth of healthy babies. Ryan defied the odds because the March of Dimes was there for us when we faced the unexpected.