Andrea Soto

I am joining this march for babies who were born premature, and this cause is deeply personal to me.

My first son was born premature because of domestic violence in my first marriage. He was forced to be born at just five and a half months. When he was first born, the doctors told me he had only a 3 percent chance of survival. He had an infection in his lungs, and because his lungs were not fully developed, he had to be intubated.

For a while, I was kept from him. And when I was finally able to see him, he looked so tiny, so fragile. I remember feeling such deep pain as a mother. He was my first child, and I carried so much guilt. I felt like I had failed him because I could not keep him safe inside of me longer. I could not give him more time.

This march is for the premature babies who fought and survived. It is for the babies we loved with everything in us. It is for the mothers who leave the hospital and come home to an empty crib. It is for the mothers who show up for every hospital visit, every prayer, every moment of hope and fear. It is for the mothers who have experienced loss, and for the ones still carrying the weight of that pain.

Today, I walk for my son and with my son! 
I walk for every premature baby. And I walk for every mother whose heart has lived through this battle.

Please visit my fundraising page to make a donation. Together we’ll be part of a movement.