Fab Five Family Teams

Help us congratulate this week's top 5 family teams in Texas:

1. Team Schatzman -- Houston
2. Dr. Nirupama Patel Family Team -- Corpus Christi
3.  MathewSmith -- Houston
4. Team Grayson Garrett  -- Houston
5. Heart's Content -- Dallas

Congratulations!!

♥ March of Dimes Texas Chapter

Brooke's Story

Our lives changed forever on the afternoon of August 15^th, 2012.  I was traveling home from work on Highway 6 when I was involved in a head on collision with an elderly woman driving down the wrong way of the highway.  On this day I was 28 weeks pregnant with our first child, a daughter, named Reese Elizabeth Harrington.  Due to the high impact force of this wreck, she was killed instantly.  I sustained multiple injuries but was extremely blessed to survive that day.  My medical staff informed me that, had I not been pregnant, I would have most likely died in the wreck from internal bleeding.  They went on to say that Reese had saved my life.

What is a mother to do to honor the life of her daughter who saved her?  Why did I survive that day?  How could I turn this tragedy into something positive?  How would I honor Reese’s legacy and life?   Would I be strong enough to share my story of grief and let other grieving parents know that there is hope and help available.   These were the questions I pondered late at night while rocking my empty arms in her nursery.  I knew I needed to do something that would benefit others in her name.  I knew that if I could prevent one family from having to go through the heart ache of losing a child, I had the strength and will to do so.  On one of these sorrowful nights through my tears I was searching the internet on ways to honor a lost child.  I came across creating a team for the March of Dimes walk, March for Babies. Sometimes things resonate with you in your time of need.  The more I read on March of Dimes website, the more I began to realize that this would be a perfect way for me to honor Reese by helping babies who are born premature to have the very best medicine has to offer.  I thought what a great way for our family and friends to participate in walking with us to honor Reese and help other babies.

March of Dimes is celebrating 75 years of helping develop the polio vaccine to eliminate the disease and now they are working on preventing premature births and are helping more babies get the strongest, healthiest start.

As parents we don’t ever imagine our children dying before us.  My husband Andy & I have lived through deep sorrow and grief for our daughter. We are walking to honor Reese and to help families have the joy of bringing home a healthy baby.


Written by Brooke Harrington of Bryan/College Station family team, Reese's Pieces.

Kelly's Story

 

Being pregnant with our first was exciting. I have been healthy my whole life so the misery I was about to endure came as a surprise.  I had severe morning sickness (I made my mark all over Austin!) and contracted for months (the Terbutaline didn’t help).  I knew my first ever stay at a hospital was coming; I just didn’t realize it would be so soon and so often. In the end we saw 3 longhorn football games in a hospital room. 

At 29 weeks gestation, I was given a steroid shot (to help develop the baby’s lungs in the event he would make his appearance that week), admitted to the hospital and put on magnesium. I knew having a baby was going to be tough, but nothing prepared me for this.  The scariest part of this process was how excited the doctor was every day the baby still hadn’t come. Every day counts and weeks are huge milestones.  The day I hit 30 days gestation, there was not much time to celebrate.  The contractions were so strong I couldn’t bear it and I was rushed in for an emergency c-section.  The nurse swaddled our little miracle, brought that pink and perfect bundle over for a kiss from mommy and daddy and they all rushed off to our baby’s first home, the NICU. 

The gender took a backseat to the health of course, but we were finally able to take in the fact that our 3 pound, 3 ounce little boy was ready for his debut.  He fought hard and only had to stay in the NICU for 4 weeks.  Jett is a healthy, happy 4-year-old today.

He has a baby brother who thanks to progesterone and bed rest was born full term.  Cruz has a hole in his heart and was born with bilateral club feet, but he is doing well and at 8 months is crawling all over the place and hitting all of his milestones on time. 2 boys and 2 very different experiences.

We sought out the March of Dimes in an effort to help other families and with the wish that the day comes where others do not have to go through these scary battles.  We feel it is imperative to raise awareness for the March of Dimes and what they do to have a support system for families and to find a way to prevent these things from happening. 

We are a top family team in Austin every year thanks primarily to my job and Facebook.  Recruiting walkers to join your team is where it all begins. Enlist your family, friends, and all of your contacts on social media. I am a teacher and recruit my students and colleagues.  I get my neighbors; reach out to the Home Owner’s Association, Jett’s preschool, and soccer team.  You come into contact with many people everyday that would probably love to help such a great cause.  You just have to give them the opportunity.  You will be surprised with who all you can get to join in supporting this cause.

 

Written by Kelly Wadsworth, Team Captin of Austin Family Team Celebrate Jett.

You've been touch by the March of Dimes if:

• You or your baby received a polio vaccine
• Your baby or one you know was cared for in a newborn intensive care unit (NICU)
• Your baby or one you know was born prematurely and received the advanced care that the March of Dimes has researched, funded and supported
• You are aware that women of childbearing age should take a multivitamin with folic acid to de-crease the risk of neural tube defects
• You are aware that alcohol, tobacco, and drug use during pregnancy can result in poor birth outcomes
• Your baby or a baby you know suffered from respiratory distress syndrome and received lifesaving lung surfactant therapy