Mission Families
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When I arrived home that night, something happened that caused me to reflect on the past three years. When I walked thru the door, my daughter, Mary Beth, came running up to me yelling “Daddy, daddy!” and wrapped her arms around my leg as tightly as she could. I cannot put into words what a blessing it was to me for her to even be able to do that.
On Oct. 17, 2005, my wife and I were like every other parent expecting a new baby. We were busy getting her room ready, buying clothes and making plans for all the family members that would be coming over to see the new baby. Then our life changed forever because we had a preemie.
Having a preemie changes everything that new parents plan and hope for. Mary Beth was born at only 3.6 lbs. and was 12 in. long. I soon learned that Mary Beth’s being small was only the least of her problems.
I remember sitting beside my daughter while she was in the NICU watching her struggling to even take a breath. Every time her tiny chest would move up and down, I wondered if it was the last breath she would take. I will never forget the conversation that I had with the first doctor that saw Mary Beth. He told me that my daughter was a very sick little girl, that they were not sure she would ever be able to go home and even if she did our lives were soon to be divided between two very different paths: several surgeries now and a healthy baby later or several surgeries and hospital visits forever with the possibility of never having a normal, healthy child. Either way, there was a strong possibility that she could suffer a massive heart attack and not live to see her 8th birthday. Her heart could become so worn out from all of the surgeries that it would just one day stop beating.
For Stacee and me, our story is one of miracles and of hope. Our story is one of the “good path.”
We support the March of Dimes because of what they have done to save my child; but we are also working for the parents who aren’t quite as fortunate: the parents that are sitting in the NICU beside their child just praying for just one more day. We support the March of Dimes in order to one day give every baby a healthy, fighting chance at life.
We are honored for Mary Beth to be the 2009 March of Dimes, State of Alabama Ambassador Child. We look forward to encouraging other preemie parents and letting them know how much we need their support to stop this epidemic. We live in the greatest country and the greatest state, but still one in 6 Alabama babies is born too soon and too small!
With Love,
Mark, Stacee, Macon and Mary Beth
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View the new Public Service Annoucnement in support of our Prematurity Campaign.
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