We’re honored to introduce you to Mitchell Bushner, Diane Brien, and their son, Declan, who are serving as the 2026 Milwaukee March for Babies Ambassador Family. Here, Diane shares the family’s journey in her own words: Our miracle baby, Declan, was born at 28 weeks on March 29, 2024, weighing only 1 pound 9 ounces. This was our first pregnancy, and everything initially appeared normal. Aside from swelling, there were no warning signs. At our 28-week appointment, I flagged that the swelling was only getting worse but I had no other signs of high blood pressure. Although my blood pressure was only slightly elevated, a nurse practitioner had a gut feeling to send me to the hospital for more labs. Once at the hospital, it led to a sudden diagnosis of preeclampsia. Although my labs were clear, the ultrasound identified that he was only the size of a 25-week baby due to severe preeclampsia and his heart rate was unstable. Within a little over 3 hours from arriving at the hospital, Declan was delivered via emergency C-section. What followed was a 116-day stay in the NICU — days filled with uncertainty, setbacks in oxygen support, struggles to gain weight, and difficult phone calls asking for consent for medical intervention, like blood transfusions or steroids to boost his lungs. Baby showers were held while we were also grieving the pregnancy we lost and fighting alongside our son for his life. When Declan finally came home on low flow oxygen support, the NICU journey wasn’t over. Our weeks were filled with frequent appointments (five to seven a week), months of oxygen support, surgeries for hernias, and eye laser treatment for ROP (Retinopathy of Prematurity). For the first 18 months, it felt like we were always waiting for the next test, referral, or setback. Today, Declan is almost two, starting to walk, and has graduated from most of his specialists. He is a chatter box (although we are the only ones who understand him most of the time), loves to play with cars and dinos, and sing “Wheels on the Bus.” We are honored to be an Ambassador Family because research funded by March of Dimes helped save our son’s life and will guide any future pregnancies to help mitigate or identify preeclampsia sooner. There has been incredible progress, but there is still so much more to uncover about preeclampsia and preterm birth. We walk to give hope — and to help more families bring their babies home.