West Springfield, MA, March 15, 2013 —

I never imagined I’d ever have to step foot inside a NICU. But our first child, our four-pound, three-ounce son Connor was delivered at 34 weeks because I had developed severe Pre-eclampsia. Connor spent two and a half weeks in the NICU before joining us at home.

Three years later, I was once again diagnosed with Pre-eclampsia at 28 weeks. Emma, born at two pounds, 12 ounces, progressed beautifully for two weeks, and then our lives changed in a matter of hours. She developed NEC, an infection of the intestines which primarily affects premature infants and carries terrifying outcome statistics. She fought hard for four days, but unfortunately she lost her battle. Heartbroken, we decided to join the March of Dimes in their fight against prematurity. 

We went on to have two more babies, Gage and Grace, both born at 36 weeks. Gage spent three days in the NICU and never looked back. Grace skipped the NICU altogether, our only child to do so.

We are so blessed to have had four beautiful children, and we are so grateful for the March of Dimes and the work they do. We have three healthy children, and Emma had a chance at survival she wouldn't have had years earlier. We hope that by sharing our story and our fundraising efforts, one day there won’t be any more stories like ours, and that every pregnancy will have a healthy and happy ending.