Angie and her husband Allen had been donating funds to the March of Dimes for nearly ten years.  While aware of the March of Dimes mission, they did not have a personal connection, however, until they were confronted with their own personal struggle and triumph with the arrival of their daughter Shelbie Ann-Marie.  Angie was forced to deliver Shelbie by emergency cesarean section due to a placental abruption.  On November 22, 2004 at only 25 weeks gestation, baby Shelbie had been born at just 1 lb and 15 oz, and length at just 13 ¾ inches.  The delivery of Shelbie had been so critical, that her dad Allen was not even allowed into the operating room.  Although perfect on the outside, Shelbie was discovered to have various internal problems, including immature lungs and a PDA vessel that refused to close properly.  Shelbie had received a special lung medication at just a few days old, called a surfactant, which March of Dimes research had developed.  7 ½ weeks had passed before she could be released from a respirator and breathed with the support of a nasal cannula.  In addition to her 3 ½ month journey in the NICU, she had developed jaundice, low blood pressure, staph infection, lung collapses, respiratory distress syndrome, and other related illnesses.  Shelbie is their miracle, and Angie and Allen wanted to let the world know the importance of the March of Dimes research to save babies.

            Angie’s family first became involved in the March of Dimes WalkAmerica in 2005 in Campbellsville, then in 2006, Shelbie was selected as the Ambassador Baby and the Pierce family was selected as the Ambassador Family for the Campbellsville area WalkAmerica. 

            In order to help raise funds, Allen’s co-workers at Kentucky Utilities, the faculty, staff and students at Shepherd Elementary, (where Angie taught first grade), family and friends assisted in raising money during the spring of 2006.  With the conflict of other important events in their community taken place on the same day (May 13), high school prom and the graduation of the school where Angie had taught, they still received the dedication of their participants who showed support ant still put on their sneakers and walked for Shelbie.  Not only was the walk beneficial, there was also some entertainment involved with the students being able to pie their teacher (Angie) in the face!  Angie’s favorite part about the WalkAmerica events, was hearing other stories of families who experienced prematurity and birth defects in their babies lives and how they have benefited from the March of Dimes research.  Angie, Allen, and baby Shelbie have plans of having a youth team for next year’s WalkAmerica to show their dedication and remembrance of how important the research March of Dimes performs is for the survival of future generations born prematurely or with birth defects.

Thank you to Angie, Allen and little Shelbie, and all their friends, family and co-workers that helped save babies through WalkAmerica!