The Tshukas: Lucy, Stephen and Lindy
Lucy Tshuka has been a member of Jackson, Jack & Lindy's Team (Formerly Jack & Jackson's Team) for four years. It wasn't until 2011 that the mission became personal when her daughter, Lindy was born. Lucy was a top walker for the whole state in 2011, and this year she has set the bar high by setting and almost reaching (less than $800 away) a $10,000 goal. We value Lucy's commitment to the March of Dimes and are amazed by her fundraising!
Throughout my pregnancy with Lindy, and as a first-time mom, I felt I had emotionally prepared myself for a wide array of possibilities. For whatever reason, prematurity never crossed my mind - not until I was sitting in the hospital 7 weeks early and the nurse said to me "oh, honey, you're in premature labor" and I burst into tears. Based on one friend who had a premature baby, I knew "premature labor" meant the NICU and scary times ahead. In the grand scheme of having a premature baby, we were extremely lucky compared to most. Lindy was born at 4 lbs. 6 oz., and went straight to the Special Care Nursery, never needing the NICU and never having life-threatening complications. She was a fighter from the start and only stayed in the hospital for 10 days. Those were the longest 10 days of my life. It was excruciating for me to be apart from Lindy overnight and to go one day to the next with no idea when Lindy would be able to come home. But what made that time easier was knowing that we were in Boston in one of the best hospitals in the world, with access to the best technology and the latest research about prematurity. Our family is now involved with the March of Dimes because it is our turn to give back. Prior to having Lindy, we didn't realize that the organization had done so much around prematurity, nor that much of the treatment she received and the isolette that protected Lindy in her first week of life was a result of March of Dimes research. It is our hope that the March of Dimes will continue their work so that premature births will decrease and the survival rate will increase, enabling all babies to become the thriving, curious toddler Lindy is today.
Lindy, 14 months
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