March for Babies
Greater Portland
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Back Cove & Payson Park
66 Falmouth Street , Portland, ME 04102
Date: Sunday, April 30, 2017 9:00 AM
66 Falmouth Street , Portland, ME 04102
Date: Sunday, April 30, 2017 9:00 AM
By participating in this March of Dimes event, you assume all risks related to attendance and acknowledge and consent to the event terms, including but not limited to March of Dimes' liability waiver and health and safety guidelines, as set forth in detail here.
Our ambassador
2017 Greater Portland Ambassador Angus Omeara
2017 Greater Portland Ambassador Angus Omeara
Angus “Gus” O’Meara was born at 27 weeks during second trimester bleeding. Mom was diagnosed with complete placenta previa with an accreta of unknown attachment.
Weighting in large for his gestation, he was born at 2lbs. 14oz. Stretched out as far as his little body could handle, he measured 14ins. As parents, we were extremely nervous to have a baby born that early, and were even more surprised and not prepared to see his fragile body.
During the first few days, Gus underwent several PIC lines, a blood transfusion, and dramatically dropped in weight. He was intubated twice. He survived the worst, and continued his stay at the hospital for 57 days. We survived, but not without emotional trauma. The best coping skill was our skin to skin time with him. We would sometimes stay up to 16 hours a day just to be able to hold him for a few minutes, sacrificing time at home with our other 3 children and time with each other.
Gus’ lungs were always a concern because of under development, but it was clear that since I was able to receive the Surfactant, he was off to a better start than imagined. We understand now that the re
search and development of this initiative was due to March of Dimes.
We joined March of Dimes to give back, but very quickly we learned we were continuously being blessed by the stories, the community, and the support. As, Ambassadors, we strive to continuously educate people about the meaning behind this organization, support new families into a club they didn’t opt for, and teach our children the value of serving within your community.
Today, Gus enjoys riding his balance bike, reading long stories and playing with trucks. He loves snuggle times and asks for it often. He also has a special love of music and, to our surprise, dances rather well considering his genes. He will be 3 in April.
National partners
Thank you to our local sponsors