First Hispanic Child to Serve in this Position

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., NOVEMBER 1, 2005 - Five-year-old Alexa Ostolaza of Gainesville, Florida, has been named the March of Dimes 2006 National Ambassador, the first Hispanic child to serve in this position.

This appointment reflects the March of Dimes growing concern about the rate of premature births among Hispanics in the United States. Alexa and her parents, Jessica and Josue, will travel the nation throughout the coming year to help raise awareness of the growing problem of premature birth, which has increased by 30 percent in the U.S. since 1981, with a special emphasis on premature birth in the Hispanic community.

Alexa and her parents will be introduced at a news conference today along with superstar recording artist Thalia, who makes her debut as a March of Dimes celebrity volunteer in a new public service educational campaign called "I Want My 9 Months."

"Premature birth is the number one killer of newborns and a major cause of serious health problems and disability among so many of the survivors," said Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, president of the March of Dimes. "Hispanics are the largest and second fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the United States and more Hispanic babies are being born prematurely each year. We want to reach out to the Hispanic community to increase awareness of premature birth and to help improve health outcomes."

Nearly 1 in 8 Hispanic babies is born prematurely (before 37 weeks gestation) in the U.S. each year. Although the rate of premature birth among Hispanics is currently 11.4 percent, lower than the national average of 12.3 percent, it is on the increase. The March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign seeks to help the nation reach the goal set by the U.S. Public Health Service of reducing the rate of premature birth to 7.6 percent by 2010.

The Family's Story
Alexa Ostolaza was born 15 weeks early, weighing just 1 pound, 4 ounces. Her story represents just one of the half a million babies born prematurely each year in this country.

Jessica and Josue were expecting their first child in 2000 with no sign of the complications to come. At 24 weeks into her pregnancy, Jessica went to her doctor for a routine physical and was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia, a rapidly progressive disorder characterized by dangerously high blood pressure. Jessica's life was in serious danger and so was that of her unborn baby. She was immediately admitted to Shands Hospital at the University of Florida and placed on complete bed rest. Her doctors determined that Jessica would deliver early, and she was given steroid treatments to help speed the development of the baby's immature lungs. After only five days in the hospital, Jessica was too sick to continue with the pregnancy. With the fear of losing both Jessica and her baby, doctors performed an emergency Cesarean section. "Even though Alexa was not ready to be born, she came into the world fighting," her mother says.

After being rushed to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), Alexa was diagnosed with respiratory distress syndrome, for which she received surfactant therapy to help her lungs inflate properly between each breath. She also spent several months on a respirator. In addition, she suffered severe bleeding in the brain that resulted in a permanent shunt being placed in her brain, and she went through rounds of medications to control seizures. Alexa spent a total of 108 days in the NICU before going home.

Five years later, Jessica and Josue are still living with the consequences of their daughter's premature birth and pray for her continued good health. They are reminded of Alexa's precarious beginning by her continued weekly therapies for mild cerebral palsy and the shunt in her brain that are consequences of her prematurity. "We want everyone to understand that the effects of prematurity stretch well beyond a baby's stay in the NICU," said Josue. "Alexa has come a long way and continues to progress daily, but she still has years of work and many doctor visits ahead of her -- which we believe is a small price to pay, to have such a beautiful child." They are grateful for their daughter's survival and remarkable outcome due to research and treatments funded by the March of Dimes, and they want to share this message with as many people as possible.

The March of Dimes National Ambassador Program is an annual campaign, started in 1946, that puts a face on the March of Dimes mission. Throughout the year, the National Ambassador attends events and conferences, speaks with volunteers, does media interviews and appears with corporate leaders, celebrities and the President of the United States to raise awareness of the March of Dimes.