Meet the Lowell Ambassador Family, The Jamersons

The Jamersons: John, Stacey, Colby, Sydney and Zoe

 

When it comes to supporting the March of Dimes, John Jamerson Jr. would do just about anything, even if it meant sitting outside all day in a harsh New England blizzard.

Braving frosty wind gusts and swirling snow, that’s exactly what he did at his Tyngsboro home in December 2010 to help raise money for the March of Dimes and its signature March for Babies event.

The March of Dimes is more than a meaningful cause for the Jamerson family—it’s become part of who they are. In July 2009, John’s wife Stacey gave birth to twin boys, Connor James and Colby John, at just 27 weeks. Born 13 weeks early, the boys were delivered through an emergency Caesarian section and weighed just over two pounds each. Colby managed to hang on, but unfortunately his brother Connor passed away just two days later. Even though Colby survived, he still spent 109 days in the NICU which was a very long and stressful ordeal for the family to endure. As the days passed, Colby got stronger and eventually came home. Thanks in part to the work of the March of Dimes, today he is a healthy and thriving three-and-a-half-year-old little boy.

The Jamerson family has been involved with the March of Dimes since 2010 when they started Connor & Colby’s Crew, a March for Babies team honoring their twin boys. Walking at the Boston event, the team raised just under $9,000 in its first year. Later that year during the holidays, John began thinking about Connor and how he should be watching two little boys having fun in their Christmas pajamas. He wanted to do more to help raise awareness for the March of Dimes and increase donations to his family team. When a bilizzard hit at the end of December, he saw his opportunity.

John bundled up in his winter gear and vowed to sit outside in the midst of a driving snowstorm for however long it took to raise $1,000. He used Facebook and Twitter to help get the word out and people took notice. His story was mentioned on Boston sports radio and Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston tweeted about his efforts of sitting out in the storm to raise money. The donations continued to come in and the Lowell Sun even sent a reporter to his driveway to interview him. Aided by a steady supply of food, drink, warm gloves and blankets provided by Stacey, John lasted more than eight hours outdoors and ultimately reached his goal of $1,000.

“I honestly was ready to come in about 1 p.m. but I grabbed my cell phone and saw how many donations were pouring in and all the thoughtful messages and I went right back out and put in a few more hours,” he said.

For the 2011 March for Babies, Connor & Colby’s Crew went on to raise more than $9,000, a feat they repeated for last year’s event. This year as the Lowell Ambassador Family, the Jamersons will be participating in their fourth March for Babies. Overall, they have helped raise more than $26,000 in three years.

Since first becoming involved with the March of Dimes, their family has expanded. John and Stacey welcomed twin girls Sydney Hope and Zoe Elizabeth in May 2011. Born at 34 weeks (five weeks premature), both girls spent a brief time in the NICU before coming home. Today they are a happy and healthy set of one-and-a-half-year-old twin sisters. The family is excited for spring as they are expecting once again in April. The Jamersons consider their children a blessing and are very thankful for what the March of Dimes does to promote the health of all babies.

“We are very passionate about the March of Dimes and we want to do whatever we can to help raise money and awareness for this amazing charity,” said Jamerson. “We would love to see a day when no parents have to go through the NICU life like we did, or even worse have a child pass away due to prematurity.”