March for Babies
Long Island StepUp
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Jones Beach State Park
Jones Beach , Jones Beach, NY 11793
Date: Friday, May 15, 2020 10:00 AM
Jones Beach , Jones Beach, NY 11793
Date: Friday, May 15, 2020 10:00 AM
2020 AMBASSADOR FAMILY
EVAN JOSEPH ZWERLING FAMILY TEAM
EVAN JOSEPH ZWERLING FAMILY TEAM
The March of Dimes is an incredible organization that we have been heavily involved with since 2014. My brother and sister-in-law had 2 premature babies who are thriving teenagers right now, which got us to do our first Walk for Babies a decade ago. Little did we know that we would become extremely involved every year because of what happened to us.
Our first born child, Evan Joseph Zwerling, was born August 12, 2014 at 25 weeks and 2 days via emergency c-section. He was immediately transferred to the NICU where the incredible staff tended to his emergency medical needs. We stayed next door at the Ronald McDonald House on and off for 3 weeks so we didn’t have to travel from Kings Park to see our son. He started out well, but his lungs were just not developed enough to sustain life outside of the womb. He had a number of setbacks, and after 3 weeks, we were counseled about our options, and we made the excruciating decision to sign a Do Not Resuscitate order. On September 2, 2014, Evan passed away while in our arms, enveloped in our loving embrace.
A year after he was born, we were blessed with a healthy pregnancy which led to the birth of our oldest daughter Serena. 3 years later, we were back in a familiar situation when our second daughter, Chloe, was born via emergency c-section at 35 weeks. We found ourselves once again with a baby in the NICU, but this time the situation was not as dire as it was with Evan. Chloe spent 2 days in the NICU before she was discharged to the nursery. The medical advances in the 4 years between Evan and Chloe enabled us to take new precautions, medications and monitoring techniques to ensure a healthy baby and mother.
We march and fundraise every year to keep Evan’s memory alive, to keep telling his story because he existed, he lived, he IS our son. He IS the older brother to our girls. We keep fundraising so that the next baby that is in his situation has a better chance at survival, until one day, the survival rate is as high as it can be.
Thank you for letting us share our story, and thank you for taking a moment to think of our son, Evan Joseph Zwerling.
National partners
Thank you to our local sponsors