Chicago—Melissa and Joseph Burger of Lake Forest are enjoying every moment of life with their son Ryan who was born premature.  That’s why the Burgers have been named by the March of Dimes as the 2006 Ambassador Family for the Lake County site of WalkAmerica.

At 24 weeks gestation, Melissa’s water broke.  She was taken by ambulance to Evanston Northwestern Healthcare on February 11, 1999 where she was in and out of labor & delivery for over five days and then settled in on the second floor for what the Burgers thought would be a long stay.  Eight days later, their son Ryan Joseph was born on February 19, 1999 at 25.6 weeks gestation weighing 1 lb 15 oz and 13 inches long.  The Burgers spent three months in the Infant Special Care Unit (ISCU).  Ryan suffered from one brain bleed and stage two retinopathy of prematurity, a blinding eye disorder that primarily affects premature infants.  Nine weeks after his birth, Ryan weighed 3 lbs 12 oz and was able to go home.  “Thanks to the excellent care at Evanston Northwestern Healthcare and a whole lot of prayers, Ryan has no obvious side effects from being three and a half months premature,” Melissa says. 

Ryan is now seven years old, weighs 40 lbs and is 45 inches tall.  He enjoys legos and is doing well in school.  The Burgers say, “Ryan is the joy in our lives and when we look into his big blue eyes we are reminded of the miracle of his life.”

Registration for WalkAmerica will take place on Sunday, April 30th at 8:00 AM.  The kickoff for the event is at 9:00 AM in Highland Park.  WalkAmerica is sponsored nationally by Kmart Corp., CIGNA, Famous Footwear, FedEx, and Farmers Insurance Group.  Local sponsors include Glenview State Bank, Evanston Northwestern Healthcare, and Lake Forest Bank and Trust.

There is no known cause for 50% of the babies who are born too soon.  That's why, in 2003, the March of Dimes launched a nationwide prematurity campaign to raise public awareness about the problem and help fund research and education to decrease the rate of preterm birth.

WalkAmerica is the March of Dimes largest national fundraiser.  The funds raised will be used to help support research and education for the Prematurity Campaign.  There are six Walk sites in the Chicagoland areas.  For walk locations and to find out how to participate in WalkAmerica, please call the March of Dimes at 1-800-244-WALK or online at http://www.walkamerica.org/.

The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies and in 2003 launched a campaign to address the increasing rate of premature birth. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at marchofdimes.com or its Spanish language Web site at nacersano.org.