Alissa Sustarsic

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. My sons, Aiden and Carson were born at 32 weeks, on April 15, 2006, weighing 4lbs 4oz each. They remained in the NICU for 4 weeks and were initially on ventilators and feeding tubes. They were treated for jaundice and they both have a Level 1 IVH. Aiden also had bradycardias, which prolonged their stay. They both went home with no monitors and all of their checkups have gone well so far. March of Dimes helped us cope with this difficult time by giving us support through books and events that helped us understand what to expect and what we could do to help our boys get better and come home quicker.