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Meet Minnesota Ambassador Families
Benjamin Pratt, 2009 Minneapolis Ambassador

Born 7 weeks early weighing 5 lb. 14 oz.

Jessica was put on hospital bedrest due to preterm labor at her five month appointment on October 11, 2005. She was dilated to a 3, bleeding, and was having contractions. The doctors gave her the necessary medications to try and stop the labor. Also, she was given steroids for our baby to develop his lungs. She stayed in the hospital for over two months, until December 20, 2005.  They sent her home with a pump of medication to keep her from going into labor again. She went back to the hospital the next day for an ultrasound and was told to stop her pump because she had low amniotic fluid and she needed to deliver her baby within 24 hours.

Ben was born seven weeks early on December 22, 2005. He weighed 5 lb. 14 oz., and was 18 inches long. He had low oxygen levels, and had problems gaining weight. He dropped to 4 lb. 7 oz. at his lowest. Sixteen days later, once he was able to gain weight and drink 3 ounces in a set time, they let us take him home.

If not for the March of Dimes, and the money they raise for research, Benjamin would have been born on October 11. He may or may not be here with us today. We are blessed that March of Dimes has committed themselves to helping prevent preterm labor, helping premature babies survive, and finding answers to childhood illness. Without them we would not be here as a family.
Simone Wiserhof, 2009 St. Paul Amassador

Born 13 weeks early weighing 1 lb. 11 oz.

My daughter Simone was born at 25 weeks, weighing just under one pound, eleven ounces. Her limbs were roughly the circumference of asparagus spears, and her eyelids were still fused shut, like a kitten's. It was almost a month before she could open her eyes to see me standing next to her isolette, in the hospital room where she would spend her first 96 days.

My husband and I had been expecting twins—a boy and a girl—after struggling through infertility treatment and two miscarriages. But at my 22-week ultrasound, we were heartbroken to discover that my son's heart had stopped. I had started having contractions, and was sent home on bedrest. Two weeks later my water broke, and I continued my bedrest in the hospital for twelve days until I went into full-blown labor that couldn't be stopped. Simone was born on February 8th, 2008.

Simone was one of the lucky ones, and today she is a plump, happy one-year-old girl. She's sprouting teeth at an alarming rate, and doggedly trying to crawl toward the outlets. She is constantly trying to put the cat's tail in her mouth. She is, in other words, a healthy baby. Whether through research or education, helping to ensure healthy babies is pretty much the sole, driving goal of the March of Dimes. And personally, I can't think of a better one.


Taylah Manners, 2009 Stillwater Ambassador

Born 13 weeks early weighing 1 lb. 6 oz.

My pregnancy was complicated with a rarity of a complete molar twin along with a viable pregnancy. We were told by one doctor when we found out about our circumstances, “Had I met you earlier we would have strongly suggested termination.” Thankfully, I was 20+ weeks along and thanks to the March of Dimes it was possible for our little one to survive. Everyone who learns of all she has overcome is astonished.  A sudden onset of severe preeclampsia led to her delivery at 24 5/7 weeks. Although Taylah weighed only 1 lb. 6 oz., our little miracle managed to let out one single cry at the time of her birth. It was a cry that said to all of us, “I am a fighter.”

We had to wait to hold her until she was 8 days old. The birth experience was a very difficult and trying time in our lives. Had we known at the time all that March of Dimes had to offer for parental support and education, things could have been more tolerable for us. We were just too overwhelmed at the time to reach out and find it ourselves.

The Manners family would like to ensure that all families enduring a preemie experience know of all the resources the March of Dimes has to offer at the time they need it most. Taylah was touched by the March of Dimes in more ways than we knew. The contribution from the March of Dimes to Taylah’s respiratory needs alone saved her life.

Taylah Manners is our long-awaited miracle made possible by the March of Dimes advancements in the care of pregnancies and babies. Each day we spent in the hospital taught our family new lessons. The biggest lesson that we learned is to have an endless belief in HOPE. We will march on for the March of Dimes, getting the word out to everyone we can that they too can help make a difference for other little miracles like Taylah.


View the new Public Service Announcement in support of our Prematurity Campaign.