Thousands of Walkers Raise Money for The March of Dimes

A crisp, sunny Sunday morning greeted the thousands of walkers taking part in the March of Dimes Walk for Healthy Babies in Cedar Rapids. The event was held at the Rockwell Collins complex in Cedar Rapids. My wife Holly and I along with Carly and Cayleigh joined a large group of Holly's co-workers taking part in this year's walk. The annual event raises money for the March of Dimes whose goal is to prevent premature births and have more healthy full term babies.

Our daughter Carly was the earliest of our 3 kids. She was born just 2 weeks early. She had some problems with her hips, but she weighed over 7 pounds and was by no means a preemie. A good friend of Holly's had their daughter 2 months early. That's a completely different story. Babies born so early will often need to stay in the hospital for weeks so their lungs can properly develop. There may also be problems with vision and the development of other important bodily functions. Why are some babies born so early? Sometimes there are reasons and pre-existing conditions. Sometimes though, there are no answers. That's why the March of Dimes research is so important.

As we walked the course Sunday morning, I was struck by a shirt I saw an adult woman wearing. It said, 'I'm a preemie'. Now here she was, an adult and doing great. That's why we walk.