Dear Friends of the March of Dimes:

We’re Barry and Crystal Turnmeyer, and we’d like to tell you the story of our son, Brayden Alec.

As many new parents are, we were thrilled to learn that we were expecting.  We had tried for months to get pregnant, and once we knew we would be parents, we experienced a perfect pregnancy – up until December 12, 2006, when Crystal started to experience back pains.  By the time she arrived at Winchester Medical Center, she was already in labor – with no way to stop it.  Brayden was born at 23 weeks gestation, weighing 1 pound, 8 ounces, and was quickly transferred to the NICU at the University of Virginia.

We spent the next nineteen days at Brayden’s side in the NICU – including sharing his first visit with Santa! – and learning more about our brave son every day.  Unfortunately, the night of December 30, 2006, Brayden started taking a turn for the worse.  The nurses and doctors did everything they could to keep him alive, but Brayden decided he wanted to spend his new year in Heaven and passed away at 3:13 am on December 31, 2006.  We were very blessed to have spent those days with Brayden and will always remember him – and, until the day we can see him again, he will always be in our hearts.  

His departure began a new chapter in our lives as a couple – and took us down a road we never knew would be so full of sympathy and support.  We were overwhelmed with the generosity of our family, our friends, and even complete strangers during our time in the hospital – all of whom shared their prayers and love with us. 

Then, on a shopping trip to our local Kmart, we learned about the March of Dimes and WalkAmerica.  Through volunteering as a family team, we met a new family of community members, businesses, and other families who had been touched by the March of Dimes mission to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, prematurity, and infant mortality.   This past spring, we gathered in Front Royal to celebrate the achievements the March of Dimes has made in saving babies born too soon – and to honor those, like Brayden Alec, who did not win the battle.

As we remember Brayden Alec on what would have been his first birthday, we ask you to help us save the future Brayden Alecs in our country – to help us reach the day when each baby is born healthy and full-term.  We are blessed to have had our son, even for so short a time – but want to make sure that, in the future, every Brayden Alec has a long and happy life.

During this season of blessings and family, please take a moment to donate what you can so that the March of Dimes can find a cure for prematurity and birth defects.  Your tax-deductible gift will help them continue their work – work that is urgently needed if we are to save babies here and across the country.

Best wishes for a healthy and happy holiday season – and thank you, in advance, for your support.