I walk, speak, and work on behalf of March of Dimes to honor my sons -- the one who has the most amazing laugh in the world and the one who is forever etched in my memory.

This is my ninth year walking for March of Dimes and my eighth as part of the Cisco team I started to honor my sons. What has happened since then is pretty amazing.

My sons were born at 26 weeks and weighed less than two pounds each. It was, by far, the most frightening and memorable day of my life.

Austin's brother died within an hour of being born. Austin was in intensive care for nearly four months, had several surgeries, and spent a year on oxygen after finally coming home.

Austin is an amazing, amusing, resilient, compassionate kid. He knows why we walk. He's now eight and in third grade -- on schedule. He's small and wears glasses due to damage from prematurity, but he shows few other signs of his rough start in life.

The simple act of participating in the annual March for Babies walk event lets me honor my sons; it's a special day for me and @ every year. Everything that has come from that? Well, it's a miracle.

But it all comes from choosing not to be a victim, choosing to find something positive in the hardest experience of my life. Sometimes that's the unpaved road that you take because you want to, but where it takes you can be amazing. I'm glad I made that choice.

Peace, love, and laughter -- Kim

The mission of March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.