APRIL 16, 2009 ISSUE
March of Dimes March for Babies at ASU April 26
Kellan Flynn Is 2009 March of Dimes Ambassador Child
Kellan Flynn, 23 months old, is the 2009 High Country March of Dimes Ambassador Child.
According to the March of Dimes, the most urgent infant health problem in the U.S. today is premature birth. Babies born too soon are more likely to die or have disabilities. The March of Dimes is committed to funding research to find answers to premature birth and providing comfort and information to families who are affected.
The March of Dimes March for Babies is a fundraiser for research and programs working to end premature births and support babies’ health. The High Country March for Babies event on Sunday, April 26, will be a family fun day at Kidd Brewer Stadium on the ASU campus. Registration begins at 2:30 p.m. and the walk starts at 3:00 p.m. The field will feature games and activities for kids while adults walk on the track. The rain date is Sunday, May 3.
March for Babies walkers are asked to raise donations for the March of Dimes. People can participate by signing up at marchforbabies.org and fundraising online, collecting donations, being part of a corporate team or by donating $20 or more per family at the door. Every walker who raises at least $150 will receive a T-shirt, and walkers raising $250 or more are eligible for gift cards and other prizes.
Kellan Flynn, 23 months old, is the 2009 March of Dimes Ambassador Child in the High Country. Kellan is the daughter of Erin and Mike Flynn.
The Flynn family understands firsthand what it can mean if a baby is not born healthy. Erin and her husband Mike were expecting the picture perfect experience until the 25th week of Erin’s pregnancy, when the problems began.
“I began to experience horrible pains in my chest and back that would take my breath away and bring me to knees and last for 15 to 20 minutes,” said Erin. “Often times, I was crying or getting sick, and there was no rhyme or reason for when or why the pain would began. We discovered that I was having gallbladder attacks, and surgery was not an option at this point in my pregnancy. I would just have to stick it out. I did just that until Wednesday, May 16, 2007.”
Erin went into labor that day. She was given a steroid shot to help her baby’s lungs develop and taken to Winston-Salem, where she gave birth on May 19, almost 10 weeks before her due date. Kellan weighed only 3 pounds, 14 ounces.
Erin and Mike know the significant role that March of Dimes research played in helping Kellan survive, including funding the research that developed the steroid shot, the regionalization of Neonatal Intensive Care Units like the one Kellan spent her first month of life in.
“We want High Country families to join with us and walk to help all babies be born healthy,” said Erin.
To join the Flynn family, click to marchforbabies.org or call 800-525-9255 to sign up as an individual; start a corporate, family or friends team; or donate to help babies be born healthy. Participants can also pick up sponsor forms at Kmart. Or call the March of Dimes Foothills Division office at 828-464-8905.
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