Matthew's mommy was just under 6 months pregnant when her water broke. The outlook was not promising and most of the doctors didn't give Matthew much hope. They thought for sure he would be born within the week and being born 16 weeks early isn't good for any baby.

Instead, Matthew proved he was a fighter. He stayed put for over 9 weeks and was born 7 weeks early on August 6, 2007. He was a nice 4 pounds and 14 ounces. Matthew did have some respiratory problems as a result of being early and being without amniotic fluid for nearly 2 months. Matthew greatly benefited from so much of the research done by the March of Dimes. Matthew spent 26 days in the NICU before going home to his mommy, daddy, big sister and puppy!

Matthew was 10 weeks old when he passed away from SIDS. Matthew was a fighter and with the help of the medications developed by the March of Dimes, he was given the gift of 10 weeks surrounded by family and friends that love him very much. Without the March of Dimes, he may have never been given the chance to meet the ones who loved him so much, his trips to the park, or seeing just how much fun it was to ride on a train.

Support the March of Dimes today and give another baby and family the same opportunity Matthew had.

Every year, half a million babies in the U.S. are born prematurely. Premature birth is the leading cause of newborn death and many life long disabilities. The funds we raise in March for Babies support research that saves babies' lives.

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