Our son Will was born on October 26, 2004, fifteen and a half weeks early because I was facing life-threatening preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome. Will spent 12 weeks and 4 days fighting for his life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at University of Iowa Children's Hospital, but finally faced too many challenges and died on January 22, 2005.

His life taught us all that every birth is a miracle, that even the smallest and most fragile among us can have an impact, that we've come a long way in our knowledge and understanding of how to care for premature babies, and that we still have a long way to go.

Will now has two brothers, Edward and Daniel, who were both premature, but only by a few weeks each. They have brought such joy to our lives. We treasure our three boys every day.

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 the March for Babies support research that saves babies' lives.

Thank you for supporting Team Kenyon as we take steps in the hope that other families will only experience our joy and never our pain.

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