Our First March of Dimes walk was in April of 2008. Emmaleigh was about 8 months old. I wasn't going to do it, but I saw a few other mothers of premature baby's doing it and I knew it was a great cause. I thought I should do it too. I really wanted to make a difference.
I called my local chapter. I was too late to get a poster like all the other babies, but I still wanted to do it. I started out with a goal of $100 and went past that pretty quickly many friends and Family surprised me by helping out with a wonderful cause. I ended up raising $250 in a week. I was told I did wonderful and that I should get started earlier next year to see how well I can do. I was very excited about the up coming year and Emmaleigh actually getting a poster.
This year came. My life has been though lots of changes. We have moved into a new area so I wouldn't be attending the same walk as last year and Emmaleigh isn't that tiny baby she was last year she is a 20 month old toddler and I thought it would be harder to get people to help out.
I got the call and I was asked to help. I couldn't say no. I thought I give it a chance. I don't know the same people as I did last year. So the people who gave last year weren't around to ask this year and I thought the ones who where might not want to give in the name of a toddler or gave last year so they might not want to give again.
I got started with a few emails. I got a few bites. $1 here and $5 a few larger ones. I had raised my goal to $350 from the $250 of last year. I getting no where. I'm stuck at $63 this $350 goal seems hopeless. my okdest son's, Alexander & Cameron's Birthday was coming up and then Easter. I lower it back to $250 and I hope I make $100. Before I knew it more donations came my way.
I really want to make this $250 goal, but I didn't want to beg people who financially couldn't do it. I sent out a few emails letting them know what I was doing and how wonderful of a cause it was, but I didn't want to put them on the spot. I posted blogs and on myspace & Facebook as well. I had just discover facebook in Feburary. I gotten into a few applications on there as well. There this one application on there that I have really enjoyed and so have my children. It's called yoville. It's like a sims game basically a online doll house. You have a character. you name him or her. she goes to work and collects coins and with those coins buys a house, and things to put in it as well as clothes to change you character into. I have also met other people on there, you can talk to them. You can also make events and have people come to your house to sell your unwanted items or just throw a party for different reasons. two of the items you may buy are a picture frame that you can put real life pictures of your family or friends in. another thing is a white board which is like a dry erase board. You also have a message board where you and your friends came type messages. I thought if you can create these events just to met people maybe I should do this to help the march of dimes. I wanted to use this game for a wonderful cause.
I wrote in my message board a story of how Emma's life started out and what it is like to be a parent to a premature baby, I put my link to my march of dimes pages. I put her picture up and used the whiteboard with her name on it. I must have talked to over 700 people on here. I even used my coins to make this what they call premium event to reach as many people as possible. I talk to many parents, grandparents, sister, brother, aunt and uncles of premature babies. I've come to realize how many premature babies there really are. I hope that one day this will change.
There was 6 days to go. I had collect a good bit of my money, but I still have about $60 to go. It seemed like a good bit to me. I sent out update E-Mails and got a few more donations. I went back to my facebook application. I posted Event after event 100's of more people came though with out a bite. Finally a few donations came though I reached my $250 goal I even went $21 over. I was on cloud nine I couldn't believe I did and of all places Yoville an online game who would have thought ! A few days went by I was done I reached my $250 goal I didn't reach my original $350 but that was okay. I had March of dimes on my mind so heavily the past few weeks. I was even asked, by an online friend if I had a target ( mean the store) close to me and I replied with telling her how close I was to my target (goal). I have having a hard time telling myself your done you reached your goal with 6 days to go. I told Everyone thank you and that I wouldn't turn down anymore donations, but I reached my goal.
A days later more donations came my way and before I knew it I was $50 away from my 2nd goal. I thought I can do this again. In one night I reached the $350 !!! I gain about 80% of donations though this facebook applications and all, but $13 was collect online !
I am happy to report I reached my original $350 goal tonight. There was actually one donations which I didn't see come though cause it went on the team page so my team has $375 !!!
I am just so grateful for what an amazing job and so many amazing people have come together to be a part of. I am very impressed by the generosity of my long time friends, family, strangers and new friends. I can't begin to tell you how hard it was to have a premature baby and how each person who donated. money or just thoughts and prayers have touch my heart. Thank you so much for everything you have all done.
Just remerber to keep us in your thought and prayers when we finish what we started on May 2, 2009 ! My whole Family will be in the walk Me, Darin and our 5 wonderful children. We even made them special big brother/big sister to a 32 week premmie T-shirts.
Thanks soo much !! You all mean the world to me !
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Thank you !
Emmaleigh & I would like to send you all a big thank you to all of our sponsors! We appreciate you so much! I would like to also thank everyone who couldn't finacally give, just for helping spread the word, keeping us in your thoughts and prayers.
As of last night we reached our $250 goal. We even went over. There still is 6 days to go and I will not turn any donations down if anything happens to come our way, but I am grateful this goal.
I have reached so many people. I was very surprised by how many strangers and new friends have given to this wonderful cause. I was also very impressed by the generosity of my long time friends and family.
Together we have done an amazing job and we are part of such a wonderful cause in saving babies lives and giving them a better start in life. My prayers go out to the families dealing with birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. I pray that one day no family has to deal with these things and all babies are born full term and healthy !
I just want to take this time and let you know what a wonderful thing you were part of and how grateful I am for what you have done for Emmaleigh and I and especially babies who are yet to be born. Thank you so much ! Give yourself a big pat on the back! Way to go !
Now just keep us in your thoughts and prayers that we have a wonderful walk day May 2nd, 2009 !!!!!
As of last night we reached our $250 goal. We even went over. There still is 6 days to go and I will not turn any donations down if anything happens to come our way, but I am grateful this goal.
I have reached so many people. I was very surprised by how many strangers and new friends have given to this wonderful cause. I was also very impressed by the generosity of my long time friends and family.
Together we have done an amazing job and we are part of such a wonderful cause in saving babies lives and giving them a better start in life. My prayers go out to the families dealing with birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. I pray that one day no family has to deal with these things and all babies are born full term and healthy !
I just want to take this time and let you know what a wonderful thing you were part of and how grateful I am for what you have done for Emmaleigh and I and especially babies who are yet to be born. Thank you so much ! Give yourself a big pat on the back! Way to go !
Now just keep us in your thoughts and prayers that we have a wonderful walk day May 2nd, 2009 !!!!!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Walk For Emma
If you don't know me My name is Danielle. I am a 28 year old mother to five wonderful Children. My First two little boys Alexander & Cameron were born in a hospital with your traditional epidural birth. My third, our First little girl, Isabella was a all natural drug free water birth in a hospital. My Forth baby, our third little boy Zackariah was a homebirth. Our last baby Miss Emmaleigh Claire was to be another planned homebirth, but things didn't work out that way when she was born Premature.
Please Keep in mind when reading this blog I do have five children ages 9 and under which include three rumbustious little boys and two and active little girls. With that said there is bound to be lots of mistakes as I can't wrap my mind around my thoughts for long as there is usually a lot going on and never a dull moment.
Emmaleigh was born at 32 weeks gestation, which is nearly two months early. Emmaleigh's premature birth is due to my water breaking prematurely and her placenta becoming detached in which case if it had come completely detached we would have lost her.
I'm doing Everything I can to reach out and let everyone know about a wonderful thing called the march of dimes. If you don't know what the march of dimes does. The March of Dimes is an organization who's mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. We carry out this mission through research, community services, education and advocacy to save babies' lives. March of Dimes researchers, volunteers, educators, outreach workers and advocates work together to give all babies a fighting chance against the threats to their health: prematurity, birth defects, low birthweight. I am working hard to help them get the donations they need to help these babies like my daughter and ones who are worse off get the healthy start they need through your help. You may think you don't have a lot of money to make a difference, but a donation as small as $1, $5, $10 really adds up and does make a huge difference for these babies ! With your help we can do more please help give all these babies a healthy start and help with the babies who are sick now and need all the help they can get.
Emmaleigh's personal web page address for donations is http://www.marchforbabies.org/Alexcambelzackem
Here a little story on What Emmaleigh and her Family have been though. My daughter, Emmaleigh Claire "Emma" was born on August 19, 2007. Emma was born nearly two months before her due date. I had a wonderful uneventful pregnancy. I actually enjoyed my pregnancy, growing belly and growing bond Emma and I had so early on. The last few weeks of my pregnancy I was slowing down and my body was feeling done. My heart and brain knew I had a good bit of time left and my daughter still had some growing to do to be ready to be welcomed into this world. I was very excited and had many dreams for the day my daughter and I would finally met face to face as we already knew each other pretty well. Until August 18, 2007 when all my dreams and hopes turned into fears when my water broke almost two months before my due date. 32 weeks is too early for a homebirth. I was crushed. My dreams turned to fears as I was admitted to the hospital. My baby was coming almost two months early. I never felt so much fear in my life. I never felt so helpless. I couldn't even see or dream of the future ahead of me.
I was lucky enough to hold Emmaleigh inside me long enough to get a shot to help mature her imature lungs and we got her out quick enough before her placenta, which is her lifeline became fully detached as that could have become deadly for her.
Emmaleigh did well in the NICU, but she was still so early and the fact remains she still had to be in the NICU, which was heartbreaking for us.
Having a premature baby is nothing like you would expect, not that anyone expects to have a premature baby. When it does happen you think this happens to other people. People who are having more than one baby, young teens who bodies aren't mature enough ready to carry a baby. people on the TLC channel specials with special needs babies, people who drink, smoke, do drugs and don't take care of themselves. This doesn't happen to people like me. It is true teens, people carrying more than one baby, babies with special needs and those who drink, smoke and do drugs are at higher risk for a premature birth it can happen to any mother. It can be your first baby or your 6th baby. It can happen with out warning as it did with me.
The Birth itself should be a moment of great joy when the baby you carried inside you for all these moments is finally coming. Instead of joy in the delivery room there is a lot of fear of the unknown in the room. When your baby is born you should be holding your baby trying to guess who nose your baby has and where did all this beautiful hair come from but,when your baby is born Premature you are lucky if you get a quick peek and kiss before your baby is rushed away to the NICU to be stabilized. After your baby is born you are stuck in bed recovering from the birth when all you want to do is be with your baby, but instead you are brought some snap shots of your baby and all your heart wants to hold your baby and fix everything.
The sense of loss you feel as your hopes and dreams of your baby's birth are quickly turned to fears as you have to wait to even be allowed to visit your own baby. You are left alone to wonder will your baby be okay ? Today ? Tomorrow? and the days after that ?
If you are one of the lucky ones where your baby is okay and does makes it, You still have a long road ahead of you. You can't just go home and enjoy the new life you dreamed of with your new baby. You have to leave your baby behind and go home to an empty crib, empty arms, missing belly and breaking heart. Then you have to explain to your family and friends and worst of all your baby's young siblings how sick and tiny your new baby is and why they can't met your new baby.
If you planned on nursing your new baby that becomes a huge challenge as well. First off because nursing itself isn't easy with a normal full term baby it takes work and dedication. Second because your time with your new baby is limit and a lot of premature babies have feeding issues. You are told to go home and rest. You are told when you can and can not visit your child that you carried inside you for months and gave birth to. You feel helpless don't feel like you have any say in what happens with your child, at times don't even feel like you are your child mother. Your not allowed to mother and nurture your child the way you want and feel the need to. There are even times when you, your baby's mother are turned away from visiting your baby. What is left to do, but go home and cry while your baby is at the hospital trying to survive. You Feel helpless over your ability to do nothing, but pray that your child comes out of this alive.
If you are one of the blessed ones who finally get to bring that beautiful new baby home with you. First off you don't believe it will happen. You see set back after set back. The hospital doesn't want to lead on to much hope "just in case" . Once it happens you are over joyed and you are ready to move on with your life and forget about the countless hospital visits and tears you shed, but that doesn't happen. You can never forget and move on. There is reminder after reminder. The Therapy after Therapy just to get your child caught up and to give your baby the best chance at a normal life. You child get monthly shots that an otherwise healthy fullterm baby wouldn't need. You have to be extra careful of germs, and have to keep a close eye on weight gain. When you child does get sick you have to watch out because a child that starts out small can lose weight and go down hill very fast and it can become a very big deal. You child can end up back in the hospital leaving you to re-live those NICU days.
These are just some of the things I have been though with Emmaleigh. I am grateful and very lucky she is alive. I came close to losing her before she was even born. All the research that the March of Dimes has done over the years have helped babies just like Emma and some much worse off than her to live and live healthy lives ! My husband had a baby sister, Stephanie. Stephanie was born over 20 years ago. Stephanie did not live. We wonder who would Stephanie be today ? What would she have done with her life ? What kind of Aunt would Stephanie be to little Emmaleigh ? We are grateful we had Emma in a time where research has be done to help these babies. We hope in the years to come more babies like Emma live and less Babies end up being born early and having to go what my husband family went thorough when they laid there only daughter to rest.
I ask anyone who can gave even just $1 to sponsor Emmaleigh in our walk for such a great cause please do. You would be supirsed how much good you can do every dollar counts.
How is Emmaleigh today you might ask ? Emma is doing well. She is small for her age. She is 18lbs and 20 months old. She is about 6 months behind in weight gain, but she is gaining and we have hopes that she will catch up. She is still getting therapy and we think she was catch up there too, but only time with tell nothing is a sure thing which is one hard lesson I have learned though this all.
So please reach into your pockets and give something, anything because you knew know this may be your child, grandchild or someone close to you fighting to survive and needing the help of the march of dimes.
Emmaleigh's personal page for donations is www.marchofdimes.org/AlexCamBelZackEm or you can email me at AlexCamBelZackEm@aol.com and I can help you get to her page.
I am very excited to be part of march for babies, please support my Particiations by making a donation.
Won't you please help me in this worthy cause? Contributing to my walk online is fast, easy and secure. You can donate directly from my personal webpage with a credit card or PayPal. If you prefer, I can also accept check. Just click the appropriate box on my webpage.
again My personal web page address for donations is...
http://www.marchforbabies.org/Alexcambelzackem
Thank You for the kindness in your heart !
Please Keep in mind when reading this blog I do have five children ages 9 and under which include three rumbustious little boys and two and active little girls. With that said there is bound to be lots of mistakes as I can't wrap my mind around my thoughts for long as there is usually a lot going on and never a dull moment.
Emmaleigh was born at 32 weeks gestation, which is nearly two months early. Emmaleigh's premature birth is due to my water breaking prematurely and her placenta becoming detached in which case if it had come completely detached we would have lost her.
I'm doing Everything I can to reach out and let everyone know about a wonderful thing called the march of dimes. If you don't know what the march of dimes does. The March of Dimes is an organization who's mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. We carry out this mission through research, community services, education and advocacy to save babies' lives. March of Dimes researchers, volunteers, educators, outreach workers and advocates work together to give all babies a fighting chance against the threats to their health: prematurity, birth defects, low birthweight. I am working hard to help them get the donations they need to help these babies like my daughter and ones who are worse off get the healthy start they need through your help. You may think you don't have a lot of money to make a difference, but a donation as small as $1, $5, $10 really adds up and does make a huge difference for these babies ! With your help we can do more please help give all these babies a healthy start and help with the babies who are sick now and need all the help they can get.
Emmaleigh's personal web page address for donations is http://www.marchforbabies.org/Alexcambelzackem
Here a little story on What Emmaleigh and her Family have been though. My daughter, Emmaleigh Claire "Emma" was born on August 19, 2007. Emma was born nearly two months before her due date. I had a wonderful uneventful pregnancy. I actually enjoyed my pregnancy, growing belly and growing bond Emma and I had so early on. The last few weeks of my pregnancy I was slowing down and my body was feeling done. My heart and brain knew I had a good bit of time left and my daughter still had some growing to do to be ready to be welcomed into this world. I was very excited and had many dreams for the day my daughter and I would finally met face to face as we already knew each other pretty well. Until August 18, 2007 when all my dreams and hopes turned into fears when my water broke almost two months before my due date. 32 weeks is too early for a homebirth. I was crushed. My dreams turned to fears as I was admitted to the hospital. My baby was coming almost two months early. I never felt so much fear in my life. I never felt so helpless. I couldn't even see or dream of the future ahead of me.
I was lucky enough to hold Emmaleigh inside me long enough to get a shot to help mature her imature lungs and we got her out quick enough before her placenta, which is her lifeline became fully detached as that could have become deadly for her.
Emmaleigh did well in the NICU, but she was still so early and the fact remains she still had to be in the NICU, which was heartbreaking for us.
Having a premature baby is nothing like you would expect, not that anyone expects to have a premature baby. When it does happen you think this happens to other people. People who are having more than one baby, young teens who bodies aren't mature enough ready to carry a baby. people on the TLC channel specials with special needs babies, people who drink, smoke, do drugs and don't take care of themselves. This doesn't happen to people like me. It is true teens, people carrying more than one baby, babies with special needs and those who drink, smoke and do drugs are at higher risk for a premature birth it can happen to any mother. It can be your first baby or your 6th baby. It can happen with out warning as it did with me.
The Birth itself should be a moment of great joy when the baby you carried inside you for all these moments is finally coming. Instead of joy in the delivery room there is a lot of fear of the unknown in the room. When your baby is born you should be holding your baby trying to guess who nose your baby has and where did all this beautiful hair come from but,when your baby is born Premature you are lucky if you get a quick peek and kiss before your baby is rushed away to the NICU to be stabilized. After your baby is born you are stuck in bed recovering from the birth when all you want to do is be with your baby, but instead you are brought some snap shots of your baby and all your heart wants to hold your baby and fix everything.
The sense of loss you feel as your hopes and dreams of your baby's birth are quickly turned to fears as you have to wait to even be allowed to visit your own baby. You are left alone to wonder will your baby be okay ? Today ? Tomorrow? and the days after that ?
If you are one of the lucky ones where your baby is okay and does makes it, You still have a long road ahead of you. You can't just go home and enjoy the new life you dreamed of with your new baby. You have to leave your baby behind and go home to an empty crib, empty arms, missing belly and breaking heart. Then you have to explain to your family and friends and worst of all your baby's young siblings how sick and tiny your new baby is and why they can't met your new baby.
If you planned on nursing your new baby that becomes a huge challenge as well. First off because nursing itself isn't easy with a normal full term baby it takes work and dedication. Second because your time with your new baby is limit and a lot of premature babies have feeding issues. You are told to go home and rest. You are told when you can and can not visit your child that you carried inside you for months and gave birth to. You feel helpless don't feel like you have any say in what happens with your child, at times don't even feel like you are your child mother. Your not allowed to mother and nurture your child the way you want and feel the need to. There are even times when you, your baby's mother are turned away from visiting your baby. What is left to do, but go home and cry while your baby is at the hospital trying to survive. You Feel helpless over your ability to do nothing, but pray that your child comes out of this alive.
If you are one of the blessed ones who finally get to bring that beautiful new baby home with you. First off you don't believe it will happen. You see set back after set back. The hospital doesn't want to lead on to much hope "just in case" . Once it happens you are over joyed and you are ready to move on with your life and forget about the countless hospital visits and tears you shed, but that doesn't happen. You can never forget and move on. There is reminder after reminder. The Therapy after Therapy just to get your child caught up and to give your baby the best chance at a normal life. You child get monthly shots that an otherwise healthy fullterm baby wouldn't need. You have to be extra careful of germs, and have to keep a close eye on weight gain. When you child does get sick you have to watch out because a child that starts out small can lose weight and go down hill very fast and it can become a very big deal. You child can end up back in the hospital leaving you to re-live those NICU days.
These are just some of the things I have been though with Emmaleigh. I am grateful and very lucky she is alive. I came close to losing her before she was even born. All the research that the March of Dimes has done over the years have helped babies just like Emma and some much worse off than her to live and live healthy lives ! My husband had a baby sister, Stephanie. Stephanie was born over 20 years ago. Stephanie did not live. We wonder who would Stephanie be today ? What would she have done with her life ? What kind of Aunt would Stephanie be to little Emmaleigh ? We are grateful we had Emma in a time where research has be done to help these babies. We hope in the years to come more babies like Emma live and less Babies end up being born early and having to go what my husband family went thorough when they laid there only daughter to rest.
I ask anyone who can gave even just $1 to sponsor Emmaleigh in our walk for such a great cause please do. You would be supirsed how much good you can do every dollar counts.
How is Emmaleigh today you might ask ? Emma is doing well. She is small for her age. She is 18lbs and 20 months old. She is about 6 months behind in weight gain, but she is gaining and we have hopes that she will catch up. She is still getting therapy and we think she was catch up there too, but only time with tell nothing is a sure thing which is one hard lesson I have learned though this all.
So please reach into your pockets and give something, anything because you knew know this may be your child, grandchild or someone close to you fighting to survive and needing the help of the march of dimes.
Emmaleigh's personal page for donations is www.marchofdimes.org/AlexCamBelZackEm or you can email me at AlexCamBelZackEm@aol.com and I can help you get to her page.
I am very excited to be part of march for babies, please support my Particiations by making a donation.
Won't you please help me in this worthy cause? Contributing to my walk online is fast, easy and secure. You can donate directly from my personal webpage with a credit card or PayPal. If you prefer, I can also accept check. Just click the appropriate box on my webpage.
again My personal web page address for donations is...
http://www.marchforbabies.org/Alexcambelzackem
Thank You for the kindness in your heart !
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