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May 2006
Mitch, Jen and Garrett Frieda, Allen, Texas
Paranoia can do funny things. It can make you overly sensitive to the slightest thing, or it can make you, oddly enough, a bit hesitant to speak out when you clearly should. During my pregnancy I swung to both sides of the paranoia pendulum - seeing the worst in everything and still hesitant to voice my fears. Luckily, that was seven years ago and my story, as the title indicates, has a good ending to a very, very bad situation.
April 2006
Paul, Carolyn and Jack Finnegan, Richmond, Virginia
Looking back at the birth of our son Jack, it's easy to see just how lucky we were. It all started on a beautiful fall afternoon. I was preparing for a rare Saturday night shift at work when my wife Carolyn, 31 weeks pregnant, returned home from a walk in the neighborhood. She was laughing when she came through the door. "I know you lose bladder control as you get bigger, but this is crazy. I was just walking along and all of the sudden I was peeing all over myself.
March 2006
Paul, Mary Ann and Thor Vasend Salem, Oregon
I'm still amazed by how quickly things can go south during pregnancy. I use the word 'amazed' now, but I definitely would substitute 'terrified' when it occurred with the birth of my son Thor. It just goes to show that life can be fragile and carpe diem isn't just a trite phrase.
January 2006
Ian, Tom and Monica Garris, Bend, Oregon
Yes, women have it more difficult than men when it comes to childbirth. Women who give birth prematurely have more difficulty than those who deliver on time. Still, it’s relative. Regardless of the outcome, 999 times out of 1,000 we get up and walk away with no lasting negative effects. It's the children that face the real difficulties. And that's relative, too. Relativity does come to a screeching halt, though, when you are the child of the premature birth. It's difficult. It's life threatening. There is nothing relative about it.
November 2005
Gordon, Tonya and Morgan Houston, Seaside, Oregon
Let me start by telling you about our first daughter Marisa, born April 7, 2002. She was 22 weeks gestation, almost 18 weeks premature. In terms of viability for her to survive that is as close as it gets. At birth she weighed 1 pound, 7 ounces and was 11 inches long. She lived in my and my husband's arms for 40 very precious minutes. I'm not going to describe to you the heartbreak and joy of those moments. It is impossible to communicate. Suffice to say, she is and will always be my first angel.
August 2005
The Cooper Wright Story (Tiffany, Tank, Austin and Cooper), Portland, Oregon
In the NICU, my little one pound baby – completely fragile, yet incredibly strong – fought with every breath, every minute of every day. Touching him took energy away from him, so I didn't hold him for the first 10 days of his life.
July 2005
The Harvey Family, Richmond, Virginia
Within an hour of arriving, I gave birth to a 2.7 lb baby boy, 13 weeks prior to my due date. Shortly after, the doctor, determining that Bain required additional treatment and expertise in order to live, sent him over to the regional NICU. This NICU had been built because of the advocacy and funding provided by the March of Dimes.
June 2005
The Rea Family, Milton-Freewater, Oregon
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...Now, Ryan, a 7th grader, just turned fourteen. He loves football, basketball, baseball, golf and skiing...Ryan defied the odds because the March of Dimes was there for us when we faced the unexpected.
May 2005
The Hawkins Family, Battleground, Washington
Nick was born at 8:10 pm on Feb. 18, 2000. He was a touch more than eight weeks early. Imagine our shock, expecting to see a 3 lb. baby with a good chance at breathing on his own, when Nick came into this world 1 lb. 14 oz and 14" long...Today, Nick is a happy, healthy five-year-old...Even the smallest act can manifest itself into the largest of benefits. Thanks to the research and programs supported by the March of Dimes my son is alive.
April 2005
The Strandjord Family, Clatskanie, Oregon
I was taken in a wheelchair to the resuscitation room and there she was, all 1 lb. 7 ozs. of her. Her arms and legs strapped to the table, tubes down her throat, coming out her belly, stuck in her arms. We were told she probably wouldn't live, that she was on the 'edge of viability.' So we asked for a 1% chance of hope. They couldn't give it to us... Thanks to the work of the March of Dimes, the great care delivered by her doctors and nurses, and her determined will to live, Olivija is now enjoying her time in kindergarten and learning to read.
February 2005
The Vaughan Family, Richmond, Virginia
May 30, 1999, without any warning, our son Ethan was born at 31 weeks, weighing 3.76 pounds... While he couldn't breath on his own, Ethan was blessed to have the advantage of surfactant therapy – a chemical protein that kept his lungs from collapsing developed thanks to the March of Dimes – to overcome his respiratory distress...Then one beautiful fall day, 113 days after he was born, we took Ethan home. Now Ethan is in kindergarten and a typical five-year old, in to superheroes, cars, and books.
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