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March for Babies to raise money for increasing, improving healthy births

April 19, 2011

The March of Dimes’ annual March for Babies is scheduled for May 15 at Constitution Square State Park in Danville. The event is the nation’s oldest walk fundraiser honoring babies born healthy and those who need help to survive and thrive.

On May 15 at Constitution Square State Park in Danville, families and business leaders will join together in the March of Dimes’ annual March for Babies — the nation’s oldest walk fundraiser honoring babies born healthy and those who need help to survive and thrive.

Registration begins at 1 p.m., with the 2-3-mile walk kicking off at 2 p.m. Other attractions at the event include kids corner with inflatables, face painting, games and much more.

To register, go to www.marchforbabies/ky.org or call (877) 424-2144.

Funds raised by March for Babies in Kentucky help support prenatal wellness programs, research grants, neonatal intensive care unit family support programs and advocacy efforts for stronger, healthier babies.

The “Ambassador Family” for this year’s event is the Gilliam family. Travis and Tara were so excited to become pregnant and looked forward to starting their family.

At 35 weeks, Tara suddenly started her labor. Everything seemed to be progressing normally and they were expecting a small but healthy baby boy.

But the Gilliams were shocked when Aiden was born weighing 6.1 pounds 13 ounces and critically ill. He was born with a collapsed lung and a rare heart defect know as Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return. Aiden also suffered from a seizure disorder and life threatening reflux.

Five months later, after more than 120 days spent in the neonatal intensive care unit and, five procedures and two surgeries including open heart surgery, Aiden is finally home.

This would not have been possible without the lifesaving medications he received in the hospital, the first of which was surfactant, something March of Dimes funded research on, leading to its development and use with premature babies.

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