“Survivor”Noah Williams, Age 0ne to be Ambassador for March of Dimes WalkAmerica
27-Jan-04 |
Kansas City, MO—Noah and his parents haven’t been part of a TV show, but they have survived a real-life drama when Noah was born, 15 weeks early, weighing only one pound 12 ounces. As ambassadors, the Williams family will share Noah’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.
“Noah was quickly whisked away to the NICU at Overland Park Regional Medical Center which would become his home and ours for the next three months. The first weeks of Noah’s life were fraught with one disappointing news flash after another: Day 1: 50/50 chance of survival; Day 3: Heart Murmur detected; Day 4: He’s contracting a respiratory infection and worst of all Day 5: Grade IV intraventricular hemorrhage discovered on left side of brain…”parents,” the doctor asked….should we continue….because the outlook for a normal, healthy life for Noah is grim. We did choose to continue to have Noah receive medical attention despite the immediate circumstances. The next 91 days that followed were peppered with more news flashes, and as time marched on, there would be good news mixed in with the bad. Then finally, on March 8, 2003, 97 days after his birth, Noah was able to go home with his parents,” said Vernon, Noah’s father .
One in eight babies is born prematurely in the U.S. today, many times for unknown reasons. To help find the answers, the Williams family have become volunteers for the March of Dimes, sharing their story because they feel fortunate that Noah 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.
Noah is now a healthy 1-year old and is inviting Kansas City to join him in 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. Vernon 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.
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