Brian and Chrissy Davis are lucky that their daughter Kendri is with them today.
At only 21 weeks, Chrissy went into labor and was put on strict bed rest in the hospital, where she stayed for almost two months.
When Kendri was born at 29 weeks, she weighed only 3 pounds, .7 ounces. She was immediately taken to the neonatal intensive care unit where she would spend the first 10 weeks of her life. During her stay, she was kept on oxygen due to her underdeveloped lungs and received several blood transfusions to help improve her condition.
Today, Kendri, the Rutherford County March for Babies 2009 Ambassador, is a healthy and strong child. However, situations like hers occur on a regular basis in the Volunteer State. Each week in Tennessee, 230 babies will be born too soon; 149 babies will be born too small; and 14 babies will die before their first birthday.
“To this day, I am amazed at all the things that doctors can do to help babies reach their 9 months,” Chrissy Davis said, “Not only was Kendri given the gift of life, she was also given a chance at survival.
“As a result of all the medical research and advances, we were able to keep Kendri here with us. Without funding from organizations like the March of Dimes, she may not have ever survived,” she said.
In Rutherford County, the numbers are dramatically higher: 418 babies will be born too soon; 290 babies will be born too small; and 19 babies will die before their first birthday.
The majority of the funding for the March of Dimes receives comes from March for Babies. Now in its 39th year, March for Babies is the first and best-loved volunteer walking event in the United States. More than 7 million people are involved each year nationwide as participants, sponsors and volunteers.
Locally, hundreds of participants raised over $77,000 for Rutherford County in 2008 to help give babies a healthier start to life.
This year’s Rutherford County Walk will take place at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 26, at MTSU’s track and soccer field. Registration begins at 1 p.m. Teams, companies and individuals will come to celebrate the mission of the March of Dimes and walk so that one day, all babies will be born healthy.
Visit the Web site marchforbabies.org. to learn more about how to get involved with the March of Dimes and to set up a personal page to begin online fundraising.
Join Rutherford County residents in their quest to help those affected by premature birth, birth defects and infant mortality. These problems touch so many families locally, and the March of Dimes gives them the chance to overcome these. |
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