I will be walking in memory of my daughter, Lydia Grace Focosi. She was born on December 3, 2007 and lived for 28 minutes. Lydia had a birth defect called anencephaly, a terminal condition that occurs early in pregnancy in which the neural tube does not close and the brain does not fully develop. Although Lydia was only here for a short time, she touched MANY lives. She left behind a beautiful legacy.

The money raised helps fund research related to prematurity, birth defects, and infant mortality. The March of Dimes promotes folic acid in women. On a personal level, I feel strongly about this cause as education and awareness regarding folic acid intake is very important. ALL women should take a multivitamin with at least 400 micrograms of folic acid (which is imperative in brain development) every day prior to pregnancy and during the first trimester of pregnancy. If all women took the recommended dose before and during pregnancy, 50-70% of neural tube defects could be prevented. Also, the March of Dimes is searching for genes that may contribute to neural tube defects to develop new ways to prevent these disorders.

Can you think of anything more important than the health and survival of our babies? If you can't join us, please consider donating to our team from this page. It's fast, easy and secure. Every donation counts!

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