One Preemie Gives To Many

I have a friend named Christie. She is one of the nicest, kindest, most considerate people I know. I was lucky enough to have her as a boss as we became friends. I worked under Christie for nearly eight years, and in that time, she had two beautiful daughters, K and L. Christie developed preeclampsia with both pregnancies and both girls were born prematurely at 31 weeks each. Christie had some touch-and-go moments herself, and it made a very strong impression on me watching from the outside. Christie and her daughters fought so hard to get healthy and strong, and her husband was right there every minute. Ever since the girls were born, Christie and her family have been very involved with The March of Dimes. This year, nine-year-old L (the younger of their two girls) has started a project of her own. I was so struck by L’s initiative, that I wanted to share her project with you all. If you’re moved, maybe you’ll send a few dollars L’s way. Here is part of a letter that L sent out to her school and to their church as part of her fund-raising project:

I wanted to let you know that I’m doing a March of Dimes project to raise money for the families in the NICU. I was a preemie in the NICU for 48 days. I was 2 lbs., 13 oz. when I was born. My older sister was a preemie too. The March of Dimes helped me and my sister with medicine (surfactant) for our little lungs and special training and supplies for the doctors. Mom says that there was once a time in this country when newborns weren’t even considered to be patients. The attention was focused on the mother alone. But, thanks to the March of Dimes, today there are medical specialists, tiny instruments, research-based treatments and NICUs across the country for helping children. My family lives in gratitude for our lives and health. It’s a very scary time for families when they have a baby in the hospital. That’s why I want to help them like people helped us. I want to make 250 care kits for families who have preemies in the NICU. The kits will have: a bilingual English-Spanish coloring book that explains the NICU for older brothers and sisters of the babies, crayons, journal, pen, teddy bear, and brochure about March of Dimes. Each kit will cost $10.

So far, L has raised more than $1,000, but needs to raise $1,500 more to reach her goal. She will be assembling the kits at the end of April. If you would like to donate to the making of these NICU care kits, make checks payable to The March of Dimes. Mail checks to:

Christie Goodman

IDRA

5815 Callaghan Rd., Suite 101

San Antonio, Texas 78228

I am so very grateful that the March of Dimes did work that allowed Christie’s beautiful daughters to live, when not very long ago, they might not have. I am also grateful, but not surprised, that L and her sister K are such wonderful young ladies who are already making the world a better place.