Zeek and his parents, Betty and Corey, will travel the nation throughout this year to help raise awareness of the growing crisis of premature birth, which has increased by more than 30 percent in the U.S. since 1981 – with a special emphasis on premature birth among African-Americans.  African-American women are 50 percent more likely to have a preterm baby than women of other races/ethnicities.

Zeek was born after only 26 weeks gestation. He weighed 1lb. 14oz. and spent 103 days in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) Betty and Corey were both deeply affected by their experience with Zeek’s birth and are grateful for the medical advances — many developed by March of Dimes-funded research — that saved Zeek’s life.