Ambassador Chloe Cassandra Rose Gray- Story told by Mother Samantha On Father’s day, at 27 weeks, I was not feeling well. I called my doctor who advised me to drink more water and rest. After 10 minutes, I spoke with my mother and she suggested we go to the hospital to see if everything was okay. I packed a bag and we went to the closest hospital to be examined. We discovered that my water broke due to a positive amnisure swab, so the doctors administered magnesium and we were transferred to Bayfront Health St. Petersburg. Upon arrival the resident informed me that they would try to prolong the delivery as long as possible, but it may be hard due to PPROM (Premature Preterm Rupture of Membranes). I stayed in the hospital and a week later, on Sunday, at 3:50am, I got up to go to the restroom and I did not feel right. Chloe’s heartbeat was strong, a category one tracing, and no contractions were seen. The resident follow suit and performed another exam, however, with this exam his face went sheet white. I was 9cm dilated and had to deliver right away. At 28 weeks and after two pushes, little Chloe made her entrance at 4:09am with NICU support from All Children’s Hospital next to me. They whisked her off to the NICU and my husband went with our Chloe, where she remained for the next 96 days of her life. The NICU is an unspoken place. Prior to having a baby, it was just something in TV shows. Some place I would never have to experience. After Chloe was born I just researched. I researched support groups, finances, and anything to help us on this new journey we were facing. I stumbled upon the March of Dimes and began reading the stories of these families, who had gone through a similar experience that we were facing. Researching about the March of Dimes and learning about other families began to ease my fears. I know I wanted to join this community. One of Chloe’s NICU nurses mentioned the March for Babies Walk and I knew we had to do it. Three months of our life was spent in the NICU with the most skilled staff and we had to give back somehow to these babies, and the team that saved our daughter. The work done by the March of Dimes impacts the job of these nurses and doctors. It gives them the ability to save lives and give hope to families who may not have much hope left. Chloe turned four years old on June 22nd and is a happy and healthy little girl. Over the last 4 years I have become more and more involved with March of Dimes. Because of my job on Labor and Delivery and our personal experience with Chloe, I believe it is one of my callings to be an Ambassador family for this organization. March of Dimes has given me so much and I believe I can give back by spreading awareness about premature birth. I can be a voice for my patients and families that are going through similar experience and are not able to take their baby home right away, or in the worst case, not at all. We can all make a difference with March of Dimes by our side.