Surviving Overwhelming Odds
When she was born, Katelyn Marie Hall was no larger than a ballpoint pen. She survived overwhelming odds. She arrived very early, at only 25 weeks, and weighed less than 1 pound. Her family says Katelyn was given only a 1 out of 20 chance of surviving.

During her five-month stay in the NICU, Katelyn endured many of the obstacles that are common to babies born prematurely. She was treated for chronic lung disease, battled many infections, underwent heart surgery, and suffered from bleeding in the brain.

Finally, Katelyn’s parents, Ashley and Michael Hall, got to take their little daughter home. But her calendar quickly filled up with visits every week to doctors, including a neonatologist, pediatric cardiologist, gastroenterologist, ophthalmologist, and more. Katelyn was also on supplementary oxygen and took 10 medications every day.

Katelyn is one of the more than 540,000 babies born too soon every year in the United States. “Premature birth is the most common, serious and costly infant health problem facing our nation, and it has reached a crisis,” says Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, president of the March of Dimes. “The March of Dimes is determined to find and implement solutions to prevent preterm birth, based on research, best clinical practices and improved education for moms.”

Today, Katelyn, age 5, is the joy of her parents’ lives. In many ways, she acts like a typical 5-year-old. She loves to run, jump and play outside with her dog, Sequoia. Katelyn and her family live in Leesburg, Virginia.

But because of her premature birth, Katelyn has developmental delays and slight cerebral palsy that affects the left side of her body. She began walking and talking late for her age, and continues to work with speech, occupational and physical therapists. Katelyn is the 2009 National Ambassador because she exemplifies the long-term problems faced by many children who survive an extremely early birth.

According to her parents, Katelyn wouldn’t be alive today if it wasn’t for March of Dimes-funded research that helped save and improve her life. Ashley and Michael are determined to raise $1 million dollars, the cost of Katelyn’s medical care, for the March of Dimes so the organization can help more babies and families.

The Halls have begun what they call their “lifelong partnership with the March of Dimes." They are working to raise awareness of the organization’s achievements and its efforts to give every baby a healthy start in life.

If you have had a premature baby in a neonatal intensive care unit and would like to share your experience with others, visit the March of Dimes Share Your Story Web site, an online community for families.