Why I Walk

Why I Walk, by Leigh Ann Torres, TwinSpin.

I march because 3 pounds is heart wrenchingly small.

I march because after waiting so long, no one should have their baby whisked away from them after only a 5 second hello.

I march because it's heartbreaking to be told that you can't hold your own baby.

I march so that fewer parents have to become familiar with the terms

apnea, bradycardia, gavage, and PICC line.

Those should be reserved for doctors only! 

 I march because I know too many women who have delivered at 

35, 33, 32, 31, 28, even 24 weeks. 

 I march because some of these women have had to say goodbye to their babies and give them to God. 

 I march so that more women can become educated on how to have a healthy pregnancy.

I march so that all premature infants can get the utmost care 

and their families can rely on the support and information provided by the March of Dimes. 

I march for:

 R & C, 31 week preemies, 38 day NICU survivors, and all around miracles. 

 Leigh Ann's fundraising tips: I definitely put the call out to friends and family in my email address book. And last year was the first year I used Facebook to fundraise as well. I was $5 short of my goal, so I posted the link and that I was so close, and within minutes an old friend from high school donated the $5 to meet my goal! I was in awe! In a nutshell:

• email everyone you know. You never know who will throw you a donation.
• post the link to your personal fundraising page on Facebook. Same as above, you never know who will be inspired to donate
• In 2009 I baked large "Texas sized" cupcakes, decorated them with light purple frosting, and visited my neighbors, along with the girls. Each cupcake was technically only $1, but everyone gave me $5 each, and that really helped me meet that year's goal.
• post it often! Not like 5 times a day, but if you are utilizing Facebook, post it maybe once or twice a week. Send out a second or maybe even a third email notifying friends and family of your progress and reminding them how important the cause is to you
• Blog about it! Put the badge on your blog and make it super easy for someone to just click and donate.