Lee’s Summit Citizens Join March of Dimes WalkAmerica in Honor
of One of Their Own

Lee’s Summit, MO—Aubree Elyse Arnett and her parents haven’t been part of a TV show, but they have survived a real-life drama when Aubree was born at 27 weeks gestation, 13 weeks early, weighing only 1 pound 11 ounces.  The Arnett family feels it is imperative to share Aubree’s story so that volunteers and sponsors will understand how participating in WalkAmerica helps the March of Dimes fight premature birth and its lifelong consequences.

  “My husband and I were thrilled to discover we were expecting.  We had wanted to start a family for a couple years, but due to some medical problems we had trouble conceiving.  So once we knew we were finally pregnant, we knew this child would be a special gift, and she had the most perfect due date, Valentines Day 2004.  On November 14th my husband commented on how swollen and puffy I looked, I insisted on going to work and he made me promise to call the doctors office when I got home.  Around 1:00 PM, I was feeling worse and decided to go to the doctors office.   When I arrived, my blood pressure was 189/116 and the nurse informed me that I had gained 20 pounds since my last visit, two weeks ago.  I was taken to Shawnee Mission Medical Center and it was there that I was told I had developed  pre-eclampsia and would be having our baby that night.  Once I was transferred to St. Luke’s Hospital, the medical staff was able to keep my eclampsia under control long enough for me to receive additional steroid shots to help the baby’s lungs get a bit stronger.  Aubree Elyse Arnett was born on November 17th weighing 1 pound 11 ounces.  This was the beginning of a very long and continuing journey to bring our little girl home.

Soon after she was born, the news of her medical complications began to pour in.  Aubree had a vein located behind her heart that remained open, when under normal conditions should close off at birth.  This condition, Patent Ductus Arteriosous would require the first of many surgical procedures.  She was transferred to Children’s Mercy Hospital and it was there we learned she had a small perforation in her intestines, called Necrotizing Entercolitis and would require surgery to correct.  She made it through both surgeries with flying colors and we began the waiting game.  Part of waiting includes dealing with the ups and downs of having a preemie, including Chronic Lung Disease.  We decided to allow her to participate in a Nitric Oxide study that could potentially help babies diagnosed with CLD.  We won’t know for another three years whether she received the gas or a placebo.  Aubree has spent the last couple of months moving from a ventilator to a continuos positive airway pressure to a nasal cannula and is now breathing on her own.

 February will be a big month of surgeries for Aubree.  She is a beautiful little girl with a spirit of a fighter.  Despite all of her set backs, she has continued to gain weight and improve her breathing.  She is now 4 pounds 14.5 ounces and growing.  March might be the month we bring our precious little girl home for good,” said Aubree’s mother, Megan.

 One in eight babies is born prematurely in the U.S. today, many times for unknown reasons. To help find the answers, the Arnett family have become volunteers for the March of Dimes, sharing their story because they feel fortunate that Aubree survived. Premature birth is the leading cause of newborn death. Many babies that do survive suffer lifelong consequences including chronic health conditions and developmental disabilities.

   The Arnetts are inviting the citizens of Lee’s Summit to join them in March of Dimes WalkAmerica on Sunday, May 2nd at the Kansas City Zoo to help the March of Dimes find the answers to why premature birth happens and how it can be stopped.  Megan says, “The answers can’t come soon enough.”  For more information call 1-800-525-WALK or visit 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 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 five-year campaign to address the increasing rate of premature birth. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at www.marchofdimes.com or its Spanish Web site at www.nacersano.org.