Grace was born 12 weeks too early and weighed just 1.5 lbs. She was in the hospital for 127 days before coming home, and was on oxygen for a year. She was diagnosed as developmentally delayed when she was 5 months old (corrected age) and was referred to a developmental occupational therapist. The OT came to our home several times per month to help teach Grace (and us) how to strengthen her muscles, reinforce coordination skills, and help her with her balance. We worked hard to mitigate her delays, and although she was late at achieving many of the important milestones - sitting, eating, crawling, etc. She finally learned to walk when she was 27 months old. One of the best Christmas gifts ever!

At the age of three, Grace had "graduated" from the program and no longer needed therapy services. In fact, she is involved in gymnastics, dance and has enjoys her first first full year of preschool!

Last year we were honored to have served as the March of Dimes Ambassador Family for Snohomish County in Washington State. March of Dimes supports research in preventing premature births and medicines that help preemies in their first few months of life. One of the main reasons that Grace is a healthy child today is because of the research funded by MOD that led to the discovery of Surfactant Therapy. This powdery substance coats the insides of tiny lungs and allows them to mature more quickly so tiny babies have a fighting chance to breathe on their own.

Today in the U.S., 1 in every 8 babies will be born prematurely. Some of them won't survive, and others will have health problems that could last a lifetime. The funds we raise in WalkAmerica support research that saves babies' lives. We appreciate your support and prayers. We are one of the very lucky families, but there are so many more that didn't have the same happy outcome as we did. If you can, please make a financial contribution, or better yet, Join our team "WALK WITH GRACE" and request pledges too! It will be a fun day and you will be making a difference to the tiniest people in our world!

Thanks,

Robert Lefcourt

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