Last night, I had the privilege of attending the 2011 National Capital area March for Babies kickoff event. It was at Nationals stadium - pretty cool to see that place empty. It looks a lot smaller without thousands of people in the stands!
I didn't really know anyone there, other than a couple of March of Dimes staffers that I got to know when working on last year's Alexandria walk. But shortly after I got there, another woman who was clearly there by herself came up to me to say hello. Instead of doing the smart thing, which would have been to ask her how she got involved with the March of Dimes, I asked if she had a preemie. She gave a little smile, said no, and then shared that she had a miscarriage last summer. I felt so badly for just assuming she had a baby at home, and I was reminded again how lucky we are that our experience has been such a happy one. Charlie continues to be healthy (other than his current ear infection and full-body rash, of course), and is thriving. So many other parents can't say the same.
March of Dimes does so much to help save babies like Charlie. It helps moms educate themselves on the importance of good prenatal care and how to take care of themselves. It raises money to advance medical care for premature babies, and to research treatments to help high risk women like me carry subsequent pregnancies longer. It funds things like DC's Momma and Baby bus, which travels around the poorer areas of DC providing prenatal and dental care to families that might otherwise not be able to afford it.
This year, Charlie, George and I are going to be walking in the DC March for Babies. We're so excited to be doing our third annual walk as "Charlie's Champions" - and would love to have your support. If you live in the area, please consider joining us on May 7 at Nationals Stadium to celebrate Charlie's successes and raise money for a worthwhile cause!
My walk webpage is available at http://www.marchforbabies.org/melamb
Thanks!
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