Why do we support March of Dimes? I unexpectedly went into pre-term labor on Christmas Day 2013. Following an examination in Utica, I was promptly rushed to Crouse Hospital in Syracuse. With Matt by my side, I remained pregnant for 6 more days after undergoing 2 rounds of magnesium sulfate which is an incredibly painful process. Eventually, my body could hold out no longer and I was brought into the OR at Crouse. Immediately after Logan was born, Declan breeched, and I underwent an emergency cesarean section. I am still in awe of how swiftly the Crouse team acted considering the transition to a c-section. Both our boys were delivered in only 21 minutes! On New Year’s Day, we had the honor of welcoming our sons into the world, but I was unable to hold our babies during that first week. I was only 26 weeks pregnant, or approximately 6 months, when our sons were born. Logan then spent over 8 weeks in Crouse NICU. Declan transferred to St. Luke’s in Utica at that same time and finally came home 2 weeks later. The daily commute to Crouse from our home in Little Falls was difficult in the middle of winter. We would make the trip every weekday, only missing 2 days due to my recovery and weather. On the weekends, we would stay in a hotel to be near our babies. My team at Strategic was very supportive during this difficult time. Each roundtrip was more than 150 miles. We learned an unbelievable amount while in NICU. In fact, I changed my very first diaper ever through the holes of an isolette! But we learned more than medical jargon and the mechanics of being new parents. We learned about ourselves. About our relationship. About our faith. And we discovered that our “little fighters” would demonstrate resilience unlike anything we had ever known. Once our sons were home, we worked diligently with our parents to adhere to a strict regimen that would afford our preemies the very best chance for success during their first critical year of life. Many people said we were a bit too strict, but we knew we were doing the very best to keep our miracles safe and that their safety was the absolute priority. In addition to significant prematurity, Logan was diagnosed with severe plagiocephaly and wore a prosthetic to help reshape his skull. After 10 months and 2 helmets, Logan graduated the program. Declan was born with a rare birth defect, grade III microtia atresia, meaning his ear is underdeveloped and he is missing that ear canal, causing Declan to be deaf in his left ear. We joined the March for Babies in 2015 when our family walked with Team Crouse in Syracuse. The next year, Logan and Declan participated in the Mohawk Valley Preemie Fashion Show and “Team Logan & Declan” was formed for the 2016 March for Babies Mohawk Valley. I admit that we knew very little about March of Dimes before that first walk and was not aware that the Mohawk Valley had their own chapter prior to the fashion show event. It is now our goal to spread awareness, specifically throughout the Mohawk Valley, of the great work done by this organization to promote healthy, full-term pregnancies. While the organization has made strides in their mission, there is so much work to be done and it is up to each of us to support the March of Dimes because they are not just a part of our family’s story – they are a part of everyone’s story.