The March for Babies

No, I'm not marching to have another baby .... wouldn't that scare the heck out of some of you!

It's the annual March for Babies fundraiser for the March of Dimes. So far Eliza's team has raised $6,535 for the March of Dimes. This year we have set our goal at $3,465 which would bring our total to $10,000. Not a shabby goal (and you do all know how competitive I can be!)

So why should you donate to Eliza's Team?

Let's review:

Premature babies are not simply mini-babies who need a good few ounces of breast milk to fatten up and be sent home. Micropreemies barely resemble babies when they are born.

Eliza was born at 26 weeks 4 days gestation. She weighed 1lb 4ozs and was 11.5 inches long. A small bottle of Poland Spring water is larger.

Eliza had a half dozen blood transfusions in her first 60 days of life;

Eliza had over 500 (five hundred) heel sticks in her 100 days in the NICU;

Eliza had multiple umbilical lines for her first 20 days of life;

Eliza has had IVs placed in ever conceivable location, including her head;

Eliza was intubated for 67 days;

Eliza was not held by anyone, including me, until she was 25 days old;

Eliza was two months old before she reached 3 pounds;

Eliza had her first bottle on May 24, 2006, more than two months after her birth;

Eliza came home on June 23, 2006 after 100 days in the hospital;

Eliza was weaned off of oxygen on August 30, 2006;

Eliza didn't roll over until she was 11 months old;

Eliza crawled for the first time on March 14, 2007, the day before her birthday;

Eliza stood up for the first time when she was 13 months old;

Eliza walked for the first time just after she turned 17 months;

Eliza spends about 20 hours a week in various therapies;

Eliza has never been able to eat anything resembling a "meal" because of raging sensory issues;

Eliza generally tests at the level of a 24 month old in all areas, despite nearing her third birthday.

Eliza is alive today and thriving thanks to things like Surfactant which helped her premature lungs when she was born three months too soon. But every single day Eliza has to overcome huge hurdles just to be an "average kid."

I will always be eternally grateful to the staff at Lenox Hill Hospital for not only saving Eliza but giving her the best chance possible at a full and rich life.

But wouldn't it have been nice if I didn't have to owe such a debt of gratitude?

Wouldn't it be nice if other babies could avoid 100 days in the NICU?

So instead of buying another latte from Starbucks this week, make a donation to the Eliza Grace Team in the March for Babies.

You can donate to Eliza's Team by clicking on the widget on the left sidebar.

How can you deny this face:






We appreciate your support and if you would like to march with us, drop me a line for details!