Marchin' for babies...at the Rodeo...

Each year, since the twins were born prematurely, we have assembled a group of family and friends and participated in the "March for Babies" on Mother's Day weekend in order to raise money for the March of Dimes. This organization works tirelessly as they fund raise to support prenatal education and testing for those yet-to-be-born babies. The idea is that with more awareness, we can decrease the number of births of premature babies and help mothers carry their pregnancies to term. Of course, some premature births - like Creed & Zelda's - were/are inevitable, and the March of Dimes helps with research in the fields related to early birth problems.

So, every spring we form the Team Toxotwins and walk to raise money for this organization. I never want to forget and always want the twins to understand how many doctors, nurses, supporters - friends and strangers - it took for them to be where they are today.

This year we didn't march due to my extreme fatigue from the chemo treatments - but we did walk around the block to Torchy's Taco Trailer this morning for breakfast! Manu is here from Paris and Evan & Jason took the twins out to Abilene. They went to their first Ranch Rodeo last night and today are visiting with the 'good ole' boys' who set up at the Bit n'Spur Show. So, Creed & Zelda are on a road trip visiting Grandma, eating bar-b-q, buying old cowboy boots and Mom gets a break: feet up, peace & quiet, and every now and then, thinks about what she'll have for dinner...

Pay it forward...

it's that time again. We're going to "March for Babies"...raising money for the efforts of the March of Dimes. This special organisation supports research, education, and grant funding for issues pertaining to prematurely born babies. Someone asked me the other day why I thought there were more premature babies being born than ever before. Here's my theory and it may have something to do with it: Medical science has come so far in saving the life of even the tiniest baby when born early...in the past, these babies would have died. There would be no talk of "I was a preemie". There would only be talk of a baby being born too early and who died too soon. Now that these little ones are surviving, the doctors, surgeons, nurses and specialists all work together to help create a healthy baby that can face the future without hopefully too many residual issues from a too early birth.

So why do we walk? We walk for...Enzo who was born with spina bifida and who only lived a few months. We walk for Aidan who was born with a kidney disorder and spent his few short months of life on dialysis and was Creed & Zelda's very first friend ever. We walk for Bailey who somehow contracted every preemie issue that an early birth can suffer from in the NICU. She never went home. We walk for Frederic who lived only an hour. There are so many more...

I'm trying to teach my kids to "Pay it forward". They're alive. So many people helped them get to this point. Now we need to help others.

If you have a chance, please donate to this worthy cause...