“I am proud that Pikeville residents joined together to support the health of all babies,” said Lauren Buskey, March of Dimes representative. “The efforts made and money raised by our volunteers this year will help the March of Dimes achieve its goal of ensuring that every baby has a healthy start in life that much sooner.”

Some of those babies that have been touched by the March of Dimes include the Humphries triplets. For years Jason and Andrea wanted to have a baby and after two years of fertility treatment Andrea discovered she was pregnant. A few weeks later they found out they were blessed, threefold! Andrea was on bed rest for four months, two of those were spent in the hospital while she took medicine to stop the contractions and prevent having the triplets too soon. On September 8, 2006 the triplets were born at 31 weeks gestation. Cooper Joseph weighed 3 lbs. 10 ounces, Corbin Keith weighed 2 lbs. 11 ounces, and Cole Anderson weighed 1 lb. 15 ounces. Cooper and Corbin spent 4 weeks in the NICU and Cole spent 7 weeks there. During their time in the NICU they all received the life saving surfactant therapy and now they are happy and playful 2-year olds.

Premature birth touches half a million babies and their families every year including more than 8,500 in Kentucky. Babies born too soon are more likely to die or have disabilities.   More than 120,000 babies are born with serious birth defects that can mean a lifetime of disability. Babies born healthy need champions, too, to ensure they have access to newborn screening and preventive health care. The March of Dimes is there for all babies.

In Pikeville, March for Babies was an exciting event. There was something to do for all ages, there were face painting for children and each child received goody bags with coloring books and crayons. At the end of the walk raffle tickets were given out for door prizes. A few of the door prizes that were given away included webcams, Walmart gift certificates, flower arrangements and movie tickets.

Funds raised by March for Babies in Pikeville support the March of Dimes NICU Family Support Project at Norton Suburban Hospital in Louisville. The NICU Family Support Project helps parents through the difficulties of having their new baby admitting for intensive care. The funds also support March of Dimes Research Grants at the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville to study causes and prevention of premature birth. Also, each year, the Greater Kentucky Chapter of the March of Dimes gives an average of $100,000 in Community Grants. This money is granted to 4 to 6 organizations throughout the Greater Kentucky Chapter to fund community educational programs benefiting pregnant women and babies.

In 2008, national March for Babies sponsors are CIGNA, Continental Airlines, Famous Footwear, Farmers, FedEx, Grain Foods Foundation, Liberty Tax Services, nesting.com, and Kmart, the March of Dimes number one corporate partner which has raised more than $63 million for babies.  Additional national sponsorship is provided by Discovery Health, Mead Johnson Nutritionals, Outdoor Services and Ther-Rx.

“In Pikeville we are proud also to be sponsored by Walmart, Community Trust Bank and Food City,” Buskey said.