Athens Area March for Babies, April 19th, 2014

Spring marks an important event in our lives: the March for Babies. This is a walk that benefits the March of Dimes. I will walk in celebration of my two special boys, Jack and Will. It is an honor to pay tribute to this amazing organization.


Most of you know Jack and Will's stories. To get a quick recap - check out our video.  Or read below :)
http://www.onetruemedia.com/otm_site/view_shared?p=a4a4c428966b0473c9e25a&skin_id=701&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=email

This year I have been working the the Athens Area March of Dimes Executive Committee.  We want to make this year's walk BIG.  The walk is April 19th at 9 AM.  It starts at Stegeman Coliseum.  There will be music, bounce houses, and rumor has it Hairy may make an appearance.  There is tons of food, and great company for a good cause!  Its a fun, family event. 


We would LOVE to have you walk on our team.  You do not have to pay anything to be there and walk.  Donations are totally voluntary.  You can sign up to walk and be there to support in person.  I may put you in a team t-shirt though :)

Our Team Webpage: www.marchforbabies.com/katiekryan

If you do want to donate, that is awesome.  Last year we were the 2nd place Family Team in terms of fundraising for the Athens area.  I'd love to do better this year! Every bit helps! 

Thank you for supporting our cause. We celebrate the lives of our sons, Jack and Will, as we honor the March of Dimes.  The mission of March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.

Jack and Will's Story:
Jack was born at 34 weeks and spent time in the NICU at the University of Florida Shands Hospital. I was first introduced to the March of Dimes when Jack was growing in the NICU and was touched by their support of families who had premature babies in the hospital. Will directly benefited from the research funded by the March of Dimes. 48 hours after his birth, the doctors intubated Will and gave him artificial surfactant. Surfactant is what all lungs produce to open themselves up for breathing. Because Will was a bit early, his lungs had not produced enough of this to allow him to breath on his own. The March of Dimes funded the research that led to the development of artificial surfactant. Will was intubated for a total of 5 days. Our experience in the NICU with both boys taught us so much, most importantly that we have two sweet blessings at home with us. David and I are convinced that if the technology had not been available and there had not been well trained and caring doctors capable of using that technology effectively, that Will's outcome may not have been as good as it turned out to be.

Pictures:

Top - Jack in the NICU
Middle - our March of Dimes team in Gainesville, FL, where the boys were born
Lower - Will on the day he left the NICU with one of the best NICU nurses ever.  So thankful for her!