2011 Ambassador Family

The Lies Family, Robert, Jessica, Bret, Gavin, & Abigail

Jessica and Robert Lies know firsthand the complications premature birth can create. While pregnant with her firstborn, Jessica was having a normal pregnancy. Unfortunately, she developed a severe infection in her womb. Bret had to be delivered for both of their safety 13 weeks too soon, weighing just 2 lb 8 oz.

Bret had a long, challenging recovery in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) where he received surfactant therapy, a treatment developed by a March of Dimes grantee, which helped him breathe on his own.

Bret is now six-years-old, loves Barney, trucks, and horseback therapy. Jessica has also had the joy of delivering Bret's siblings, Gavin and Abigail.

Bret’s grandmother, Lynn, and his parents are so grateful for your support of the March of Dimes.

Imagine........

This was written by mothers on the Shareyourstory.org website. It was a thread where they were asked to finish the sentence “Imagine…” in a way that helps others understand the effects of premature birth. Let us know how you would finish the sentence in the comments section.

Imagine........

Imagine.....your baby's birth weight being less than a bag of sugar or a 2 pound free weight or a 32 oz soft drink


Imagine…your granddaughter's tongue the same size as a tic-tac


Imagine...not hearing your child cry until he was a month old


Imagine…trying desperately to stay pregnant for as long as you can, even at risk to your own health


Imagine…giving birth only to be told that your baby has a 40% chance of survival and if she does survive, she will be blind, mentally and physically handicapped and never walk


Imagine…the smile on your face and the tears in your eyes when one year later, that same child RUNS past that same doctor


Imagine...having a hospital feel like home and your house feeling like a place you occasionally visit to sleep


Imagine…not seeing your daughter’s face until she was four weeks old because she was ventilated


Imagine…being able to fit your wedding ring on your child’s arm


Imagine…leaving the hospital empty handed


Imagine…planning your newborn’s funeral


Imagine…having the hospital call a week after the baby’s birth and asking if you’re having fun with your new baby…the new baby that you’ve never even held because he’s in the NICU struggling for life


Imagine…boxing up all of your baby things because it’s too painful to look at them in the nursery
Imagine…signing papers to allow for surgery on a baby who weighs less than a pound and a half


Imagine…the pain of parents all around you losing their babies, grief and guilt mixed with relief that it’s not you


Imagine…holding your baby when she’s two weeks old and realizing that the blanket she’s wrapped in weighs more than she does.


Imagine…feeling the pain of seeing pregnant women


Imagine…having to choose to stop breastfeeding the child you’ve already taken home in favor of his twin sister who is still in the NICU


Imagine…the fear of ever having another child


Imagine......Being afraid of, and afraid for, your child.


Imagine......Not even knowing who's lips, eyes, nose, or chin your child has because you can't see their face for all the tapes, tubes, and eye masks.


Imagine....Your husband knowing your nurses and the NICU routine better than you because he's been there for five days already before you ever even get to see your son.


Imagine...the looks on the faces of your friends and family when you try to talk about the future


Imagine...Being ecstatic when your baby hits 4 pounds, or 3, or 2...


Imagine…knowing your baby is born but the only sound you hear is the door closing as they take her away


Imagine... getting condolences instead of congratulations when your child is born.


Imagine... Not getting to hold your child until he/she is nearly a month old.


Imagine... hearing comment after comment on all the things people didn't think your baby would ever do.


Imagine... that some of the most peaceful times of your day are when you are sitting attached to a breast pump!


Imagine... how quickly the rough past fades away when your child first smiles at you.


Imagine…trying to produce breast milk that your baby desperately needs even though your body isn’t prepared to produce it


Imagine…knowing your baby literally inside and out because of x-rays, heart monitors, brain scans and blood tests


Imagine…dressing your baby for the first time in doll clothes


Imagine…knowing that no matter what happens, your life will never be the same


Imagine....being able to turn this life altering, tragic journey into something that can help many, many other people!

Anyone use Pampers?

If you are a Pampers user, I suggest you collect the points and use them to help earn money for March of Dimes!

In case you are unfamiliar with this process, here are the directions. Inside of the diaper packages you can find a sticker that includes a code. They are also found inside the wipes containers (and I assume the wipes refill packs). After collecting the codes, go to Pampers.com and enter the codes on their website. Then if you go to the "Browse Catalog" button, you will see that you can donate these points to March of Dimes!! For every 10 points, Pampers will donate $0.10 to March of Dimes (up to $20,000 total). Wouldn't you LOVE to help March of Dimes earn an extra $20,000?? This is so simple.

Ask your friends, your neighbors, your NICU. I have contacted our NICU nurses to ask them to pass along the word. I know our NICU used Pampers Preemie diapers with my son, and I collected nearly 400 points while were in the hospital. Just think if we all added those points together. Maybe you could call your NICU and ask if they collect the points instead of throwing them out--don't be afraid to tell them why!

Thank you Pampers for partnering with March of Dimes. Tell everyone you know to collect those points to help reach this impressive total of $20,000!

Do you need t-shirts for your team?

EA Graphics if the official t-shirt supplier for March of Dimes. If you are looking to purchase t-shirts for your team, check them out. These t-shirts are fairly inexpensive, and they have a lot of options. This year they are offering an extended line of sweatshirts, hats, bags, and other items. Check it out! The family team shirts are offered in purple, charcoal, and orchid. EA Graphics also offers an option to make a customized shirt. You can purchase the family team shirt, and have the company add personalization to the back of the shirt. There are so many varieties with this company!

Let me know if you have any questions about ordering & I can try to help. I know last year our team ordered these t-shirts, and then ironed on our team name on the back of the shirt.

Adding a fundraising badge to your email

Is everyone in the fundrasing mode?? Are you trying to get your message out there to as many people as possible? Your personal March of Dimes site has badges that you can add to your Facebook account, your personal blog, and your email. This is an easy way to remind your friends and family to help you earn your goal.

There have been some people having trouble adding the badge to their email signature. Here are the directions to follow. Then, with every email you send out, there will be an opportunity for people to help you reach your goal.

Adding Your Fundraising Badge in Outlook 2007

Share

1. Create a new “TEXT DOCUMENT” on your desktop (right click on the desktop and go to NEW - TEXT DOCUMENT)
2. Paste the code into the text document that you created, save the file as MFB2010.htm (erase .txt from the file name and replace with .htm)
3. In Outlook, go to Tools > Options and the Mail Format tab.
4. Click the Signatures button.
5. Click the New button.
6. Name your signature ‘MFB2010’
7. Click OK
8. Close Outlook
9. Locate your signature folder by navigating to these folders or go to Start, Run and paste one of the following: for Vista: %userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Signatures, for XP: %userprofile%\Application Data\Microsoft\Signatures
10. There will be three files in that folder called ‘MFB2010’ (in three formats: .htm, .txt and .rtf). If you cannot see the file extensions, go to Tools / Folder Options / View and deselect ‘Hide extensions for known file types’, or right-click on the file and select ‘Properties’, that will display the file type in a new window.
11. Drag the .htm file you created into the folder. Replace the .htm file in that folder with the file you created. Make sure that they are named the same.
12. Restart Outlook 2007.
    

Leave us a comment and let us know if you have added a badge to your signature. You can also tell us if you still have problems--we'd love to help you out!

Opening Bell

Check out Sherii Shephard at the NY Stock Exchange kicking off the March for Babies campaign!!

Save the dates!

2010 March for Babies

Wichita

Saturday, April 17

Lawrence-Dumont Stadium

Registration opens at 9 a.m.

Hutchinson
Saturday, May 1

Kansas State Fairgrounds

Registration opens at 9 a.m.

Woohoo - who's excited for this year's march??!!! This is my favorite time of year as we get ready for this awesome event (okay - could also be that SPRING is approaching which will mean burning some energy in the backyard and less illness!!). We've got a great route this year for those of you pushing strollers and lots of fun entertainment. I always say that if this wasn't a March of Dimes fundraiser... I'd STILL want to come bring my kids, we always have a blast! I hope you and your family is able to come!
You can sign up at http://www.marchforbabies.org/.

Please e-mail me at kmcburney@marchofdimes.com or call me at 913-387-3605 with any questions.

Thanks!!
Kara McBurney

Did you see "Who wants to be a millionaire" last night?

Sherri Shepherd, March of Dimes celebrity volunteer and co-host of "The View," won $50,000 for the March of Dimes, her favorite charity, on Tuesday night's special 10th anniversary edition of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire," hosted by Regis Philbin (after accessing her "Ask the Audience" life-line on a question about the movie, Notting Hill). The smash hit show returned to ABC-TV for a two-week prime time engagement. As a special feature, each episode will conclude with a celebrity player taking the hot seat, hoping to correctly answer a single question worth $50,000 for his or her favorite charity. The March of Dimes thanks Sherri for donating her winnings to our cause and for her ongoing support of our mission to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

Time article

Very interesting article from Time on premature birth.

Attention fellow bloggers

Do you have a blog? A Caringbridge site? A family website?

I would love to add a list of local familis to the sidebar of this blog. If you have a blog or a website - will you please leave a comment with the address if you would like to add it?

Thanks so much!

Kara

Attention fellow bloggers

Do you have a blog? A Caringbridge site? A family website?

I would love to add a list of local familis to the sidebar of this blog. If you have a blog or a website - will you please leave a comment with the address if you would like to add it?

Thanks so much!

Kara

Attention fellow bloggers

Do you have a blog? A Caringbridge site? A family website?

I would love to add a list of local familis to the sidebar of this blog. If you have a blog or a website - will you please leave a comment with the address if you would like to add it?

Thanks so much!

Kara

Twitter...

Got this from the March for Babies blog.

Hugh Jackman, who tweets as @RealHughJackman, has offered to give $100,000 to the charity of choice of the tweeter he feels makes the strongest, most heart-felt case. In 140 words or less that is.

Thousands of people have already sent their tweets - among them many March of Dimes supporters. Thanks, everyone! Hugh’s announcing the winner on April 24, so get your tweet in now! Tell Hugh and everyone else why this cause means so much to you!
Looking good and doing good… Hugh Jackman certainly is the total package! Wondering what to Tweet? Here are some examples:@RealHughJackman Every waking moment I have with my babies I’m thankful for March of Dimes research. We need your support to save more babies.@RealHughJackman My kids walk, run, laugh and play thanks to March of Dimes efforts! We need your to help give every baby a healthy start.

Check out this family team!

A well-known mommy blogger and one of our March of Dimes Moms, Heather Spohr, lost her 17 month old baby, Madeline Alice (Maddie) April 7th. In lieu of flowers she has asked that donations be made to the March of Dimes and her March for Babies team. The blogging and Twitter communities have rallied around her and her husband Mike to such an extent; that not only are they donating but starting their own Maddie walk teams across the country. To date there are 45 new teams.

There is a new blog for March for Maddie and we have blog posts on the Marchforbabies blog and the Newsmomsneed blog. Heather’s blog is http://www.remembermaddie.com/

Check out this family team!

A well-known mommy blogger and one of our March of Dimes Moms, Heather Spohr, lost her 17 month old baby, Madeline Alice (Maddie) April 7th. In lieu of flowers she has asked that donations be made to the March of Dimes and her March for Babies team. The blogging and Twitter communities have rallied around her and her husband Mike to such an extent; that not only are they donating but starting their own Maddie walk teams across the country. To date there are 45 new teams.

There is a new blog for March for Maddie and we have blog posts on the Marchforbabies blog and the Newsmomsneed blog. Heather’s blog is http://www.remembermaddie.com/

Lobby Day in Topeka March 12, 2009

First, we had a great luncheon with several of our Kansas legislators! It was great to get to talk to some of these officials one-on-one!Then, we all headed over to the Kansas State Capitol Building to deliver information to the rest of our senators and representatives who weren't able to make the luncheon. If you've never been lobbying before - it is an AWESOME experience. I would encourage you if you ever have a chance in the future to take part in a local or national lobby day.

Okay - so probably took too many pictures of the actual capitol building - but it is so gorgeous!!
Before we left, we got to visit the actual senate session.Here we are waiting for it to start.After they called the senate to order, they recognized the March of Dimes in attendance!
Very fun day! More than that, it feels so good to know that we had small small part in the process of getting the March of Dimes' mission brought to light with our state representatives.

Free tax preparation!

Liberty Tax is one of the March of Dimes' dedicted national sponsors. They are committed to working with the March of Dimes to ensure that ALL babies are one day born healthy.

On March 27th, Liberty Tax will host it’s much advertised, Tax Free Preparation Day. Customers who make an in-office donation of $50 or more to March of Dimes will have their taxes prepared free of charge at participating locations!!

Fifty dollars is a deal to get your taxes prepared anyway - and it's going to a good cause!!

WOW!

Oh my goodness, big kudos to ABC and Extreme Makeover Home Edition - last night's episode ROCKED!! Like I said last week, I almost always love this show... but this one, for obvious reasons, was especially a "must see" for me!

The family is absolutely amazing, attention was brought to the issues of prematurity and infant loss and I can't believe how much they mentioned the March of Dimes!!

I hope you all saw it - would love to hear your reactions!

Happy Monday,
Kara

Extreme Home Makeover THIS Sunday!

I love this show to begin with, but I will be sure to catch it this week! On Sunday, March 1st the Emmy Award winning ABC-TV program Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, will build a new home for March of Dimes volunteers, the Augustin Family of Keller, Texas. The family was selected because Amber and Peter Augustin’s son, Lane, was born extremely premature in 2004. They are dedicated to volunteering for the March of Dimes and helping other families with premature babies. Hundreds of March of Dimes volunteers and staff helped demolish and rebuild the Augustins’ home. Fort Worth expects to have 1500 people watching the broadcast together and this will act as a kickoff/sign-up event for March for Babies.

I'd love to hear what you think about it after the show... I'm anxious to see it!

CHIP

You may have alread heard but the CHIP, Children's Health Insurance Program, was signed into law by the president last week. This is a HUGE win for March of Dimes supporters and anyone who believes in babies being born healthy!

Here is what Dr. Howse, President of the March of Dimes, had to say about this awesome accomplishment....

I am pleased to announce that the reauthorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) was signed into law on Wednesday. This critical legislation includes key provisions the March of Dimes has championed since 2007:

*Maintains coverage for those children currently enrolled and give states the resources to cover an additional 4.1 million uninsured children which means 11 million children will have access to coverage.
*Gives states a new option to cover pregnant women who meet the program’s income guidelines.
*Contains a robust pediatric quality initiative to fund the development and dissemination of pediatric quality measures for use by the states. This will help ensure that children receive not only health coverage, but high quality care.

Congratulations and thank you to everyone who has played a role in this accomplishment.