Lowell's Team Shelby

Shelby Grace Forrest – 3 Month Premature

1 Lb. 10 Ounces

(close up picture wearing Daddy’s wedding band as a bracelet and holding a dime)

Shelby Grace Forrest (My Great Niece) was born June 16, 2005 at 3 month premature weighing only 1 lb. 10 ounces.  For some unknown reason, she was in great distress while in utero and at the recommendation of the obstetrician she was delivered via emergency procedure.  She spent three months in the NICU at UNC Chapel Hill.  At one month in age and 2 lbs. in weight, Shelby underwent heart surgery to close an open valve.  She received a metal clamp, which remains in her body today, to close the valve.  The Physicians accessed her heart by entering through her back, deflating her left lung, placing the clamp on the valve, then re-inflating the lung.

Presently Shelby is an active 2^nd Grade student who enjoys Karate, Gymnastics and Ballet.  She is an instinctive fighter who will soon be celebrating her 9^th Birthday.

Team Shelby started 5 years ago when I got involved with the March of Dimes through the Charitable Committee at work.  I did a lot of research on the organization and all the wonderful things they do to help bring healthy children into this world and I found myself committed to their cause.  The March of Dimes is an outstanding organization and I am proud to be a part of it and equally proud to participate in the Lowell March for Babies each year.  With the help of this organization many other babies will overcome the odds and celebrate their 9^th Birthday just like Shelby has.  March of Dimes is truly the “Champion for Babies”

Susan M. Perusse

Team Captain

Team Shelby

Lowell's TeamBroz - Walking to Honor Their Son

Teresa Brosnihan and her family team are one of Lowell's top family teams. She is a dedicated volunteer for the March of Dimes and this is their team's 6th year walking for March for Babies. 



I was thrilled and very excited to be expecting my first baby. I was extremely sick during the pregnancy but other than that it was pretty uneventful, that is until my 18 week ultra sound. At 18 weeks we found out we were having a baby boy. We were overjoyed by the thought of adding this cute bundle of love to our family. It was also at that ultra sound that the tech could not find all the chambers of the babies heart. No one really new what was to come at that time.

I was sent to Boston for lots of additional testing and that is when my world came crashing down. My son had several horrific heart abnormalities. I was 21 weeks along and on March 24, 2005 I lost my son. Many years have passed but my son, Casey James, will never be forgotten! My family has been blessed with another son, Cameron, 2 years later and a beautiful daughter, Addison, in 2009. I was watched very carefully and had additonal tests done but both children are very healthy! And that is why we walk as a family for the march of dimes! We walk in honor and memory of our son, Casey James, who was sent to heaven too soon to become an early angel. We walk to make a difference! We walk to make a tragedy into something positive.

Fundraising tips:  

Ask everybody! What I personally do is email friends and family directly. If you email them direct they feel more apt to donate or respond. I send them an email about every 3 weeks. I stay on top of them and I let them know that even a $5 donation is good. Then I post it on facebook every 1-2 weeks. I am consistent. Last year I had 2 friends join my team and I asked them to at least bring in $100 each if not more. Growing your team is important. Ask friends to join and fundraise. ask,ask,ask is the key! And let them know your personal story as to why you walk. This year I started my fundraising via email and facebook on the anniversary of the loss of my son. It was a very powerful and meaningful way to start. 

Top 10 Cape Cod and Lowell Teams as of May 16th

With our last two Massachusetts walk coming up in June, competition at those two sites, Cape Cod and Lowell, is really heating up! Way to go, family teams!

Our Lowell Ambassador Family - The Fenochetti Family

Here is the Fenochettis' story, in the words of Melanie Fenochetti.

On August 10^th, 2006 while pregnant with my triplets, I went into premature labor. Colin was born first. William and Liliana were born on August 11^th.  They were just 20 weeks, too premature to survive. We canceled the three cribs that just arrived at the store, notified all of the guests for our baby shower that was planned, with invitations already out. Instead, we needed to plan the burial of our three precious babies. We were heartbroken.

As a couple who from the beginning knew they wanted a family, this was devastating.  Why us? Why our babies?  We would never know.  All we knew was that in an instant our life was torn apart and our dream of a family was taken from us.  There were no answers, we were just left to grieve.

A year later we decided to try for the family that we so desperately wanted.  Happily, in 2008 we welcomed a handsome addition to our family, Frankie.  Thirteen months later, we were blessed with Mia. Both full term.

This will be our 6^th year walking in the Lowell March for Babies as Fenochetti Triplets. We have raised over $16,000 for the March of Dimes. If through their research, the March of Dimes is able to prevent another family from experiencing the loss that we experienced, our time and efforts will be worth it.  We walk in memory of Colin, William and Liliana who will be forever in our hearts.  

Boston's Team Simeon -- A mom's story of loss

Stephanie Crawford is the captain of Team Simeon and also a member of our loss committee. This is her story:

I was sitting there, listening to everyone crack jokes, pretending to laugh. "Stop being so negative Stephanie, when you think bad things, they happen" said one voice in my head. "But I just ate ice cream, it always moves when I eat ice cream," said the other voice. It was February 6th at about 8:30 pm and I was 39 weeks pregnant. I had been pregnant long enough to know that something was wrong. I waited an hour until I got home alone and I ate a great big bowl of caramel ice cream. This was once my favorite pastime, but after not feeling my child move for a second time, it gained a new meaning. I called my dad to drive me to the hospital and waited for what seemed like hours. With the first ultrasound and no heartbeat I knew my baby was no longer living, but to spare the feelings of everyone else in the room I kept quiet until I was officially told by the head doctor. "I'm sorry Ms. Crawford but your baby has passed away." That was the last thing I heard as my mind started to wander. I'm not sure what I was thinking, but it was something in between "Am I dreaming?" and "Why is everyone smothering me?" The process after that was long and a blur. I was put in a hospital bed, blur, an IV was put in my arm, more blur, and then contractions started. The contractions were just like everyone said they would be, painful, but I was gonna do it naturally like I had decided from the beginning. Then, I started have an anxiety attack with every contraction. Every time I felt pain, my chest got really tight, heavy and I couldn't breathe. I was dying just like my baby and no one believed me. All the doctors and nurses would say is "It's anxiety Stephanie, just try to breathe, you can breathe." What was their problem? After that 3 month mark your baby is safe from miscarriage, so it must be me who's dying, couldn't be my baby. The delivery doctor rubbed my back as my last contraction set in. She sat on the bed next to me and said, "I know you really want to do this naturally, but I don't think you should. I went through this some years ago and well, it's not the same feeling it is when you're not getting the reward in the end. I want you to go through this as comfortably as you can. It's your decision but this is horrible and you shouldn't have to be in pain." So I decided to get an epidural. So in came the anesthesiologist, blur, then in came the midwife and told me it was time to push. My mom held one leg and my step mom held the other. I pushed for 15 minutes and at 11:45 am on February 7th the midwife said "It's a boy." My first thought was "Does that even matter now?" My whole pregnancy I hadn't found out the sex just to find out that I had a dead baby boy. I'm a blunt thinker. They cleaned him up, wrapped him and put him in the bassinet anyway. I could see him through the plastic side of the bassinet, and I was scared of him. My biggest fear has always been death and anything that has to do with it, so why on earth would god make me birth it? After contemplating in my head for minutes, I finally decided to hold him. He...was...beautiful, amazing, cute, and ....... dead. How, could he be dead and be so cute? It still didn't click, "so I can't take him home?" and I couldn't. Well at least not right then, and not outside of plastic wrap in a paper bag. I had Simeon Jelani Crawford cremated. All 8pounds 2 ounces and 22 inches of him.

During my pregnancy and definitely after it, I endured much loss. I ended a friendship of ten years with two friends, I lost my love interest and my estranged father and his family with whom I got closer with over the years became re-estranged. I started to part ways with a very close friend who helped me tremendously through it all because soon after Simeon was stillborn she became pregnant and in my thoughts, it was just plain unbearable. I hadn't had a good relationship with my mother in years but lost my apartment so I was forced to live with her, which meant I lost my space and dignity. I lost my figure which meant I lost all of my old clothes. I stopped working the month before him and couldn't bring myself to go back and have everyone look at me like a charity case so I lost my job. I talked to myself, cried every night, laughed for no reason and hallucinated so I'm sure for a little while I lost my mind. I...was.....LOST!  Over the last years I was able to find myself again by joining loss groups, sharing my story, and starting a non profit in honor of my son.  In all of this, the March of Dimes and March for Babies played a big part because when I shared my interest in having a way to honor my son at the walk they made it happen.  This walk also brings my family together every year to honor Simeon and it makes Mother's Day a lot easier for me!  I am finally able to smile again and not feel guilty for being happy because I know Simeon is being celebrated.
 

 

Team Simeon

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Meet the Cape Cod Ambassador Family -- The Wackrow Family

This is the Wackrows third year walking in the Cape Cod March for Babies as Team Taylor Tot. They are consistently a top family team for our state and Jocelyn is a fundraising pro! Although the Wackrow family lives in MD, they return to their native MA to walk on Cape Cod each year with family and friends. We are so grateful to have their support in our state! Here is why they walk in March for Babies, in Jocelyn's (Taylor's mom) words:

At 41 years of age, I was considered high risk while pregnant with Taylor. Having had Pre-eclampsia in the past with my two sons, born at 33 and 34 weeks, I was closely monitored during my pregnancy.  I gradually became ill in my second trimester and was admitted to the hospital at 27 weeks. I had HELLP syndrome which is a variant of Pre-eclampsia.

Due to my condition, Taylor was delivered via an emergency c-section at 27 weeks, 6 days.  Due to my illness, I was unable to be part of Taylor’s first days.  This was the beginning of life in the NICU for our family. Taylor’s had many scary and life-threatening health battles in the NICU.  Taylor battled in the NICU’s of two hospitals for 139 days.  Each day was filled with both setbacks and victories.

 Taylor in the NICU

 The past four years have been filled with clinics, doctors, physical therapy, occupational therapy and illnesses due to her prematurity.   Taylor has overcome her blood disorder, breathing issues, Torticollis, hip dysplasia, pneumonia, RSV and numerous other health conditions.   

Today, Taylor amazes her and us doctors with her cognitive abilities.  She continues to struggle with her physical development and eyesight, yet her fierce spirit propels her forward. 

Taylor, Age 4

Our commitment to March for babies began with a long night in the NICU watching Taylor fight to live.  The March of Dimes research and support is critical to help fight prematurity and we are extremely grateful.

 

The Wackrow Family