Greenville March for Babies set for April 28

By Leigh Savage  

APRIL 5, 2012 2:09 p.m. (0)

Nicole Gilbert was shocked when, at 28 weeks pregnant, her doctor told her it was time to deliver her babies. One of her twin boys, Aidan, was experiencing heart and lung failure due to a complication called twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, creating “a matter of life or death,” Gilbert said.

The boys were born weighing just 3 lbs. 6 oz. (Aidan) and 2 lbs. 3 oz. (Cian). Their tiny, underdeveloped lungs, eyes and brains required monitoring and numerous interventions during four months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Greenville Hospital System.

Fortunately, her boys made it through the ordeal and are looking forward to celebrating their third birthday this June. Throughout the frightening experience, the Gilberts saw firsthand all that the March of Dimes does for families who experience prematurity.

“We started receiving cards and letters,” Gilbert said. “When Aidan had surgery at one month old, they offered us support and gave him a stuffed animal. They were thinking of us even before we knew much about them.”

To return the favor, the Gilberts offered to become a March of Dimes Ambassador Family, raising awareness and funds and helping to publicize the Greenville March for Babies, set for April 28 at CU-ICAR. The event brings together families, individuals and corporations for a four-mile walk, followed by a celebration with free food, live music and activities for the kids.

“We want to celebrate all babies, sick or healthy, and we’d love to have the community come join us,” said Lisa Green, state March for Babies director. The majority of funds raised stay in South Carolina to fund local programs, including research grants to Clemson University, USC and Greenville Hospital System.

According to the March of Dimes, more than half a million babies are born too soon in the U.S. each year, and the premature birth rate has risen by 36 percent in the past 25 years. Prematurity is the No. 1 killer of newborns and can lead to severe health problems and disabilities. A big component of the March of Dimes’ mission is prevention, funding research to help mothers reach full term and sponsoring legislation that improves health care for expectant women.

In up to 40 percent of cases, the cause for prematurity is unknown, so funds raised by the March of Dimes go toward research to pinpoint causes as well as treatments for common complications. One major breakthrough was surfactant treatment, which helps underdeveloped lungs and reduces breathing problems in many babies, including Aidan and Cian.

Other March of Dimes successes include developing the Salk Polio Vaccine (1955), discovering the dangers of fetal alcohol syndrome (1973) and launching the folic acid awareness campaign (1996-2002).

Gilbert was surprised to learn that March of Dimes created the first Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in 1976. “They were the ones who realized theses babies needed more,” she said, including specialized equipment and customized care. Previously, preemies had gone into the same ICU as adults.

At March for Babies, registration begins at 8 a.m. with the walk kicking off at 9 a.m. More than 4,000 people and 260 companies participated last year, raising more than $650,000. Green hopes the event raises $670,000 this year.

Gilbert will be there with her team, which will include her boys riding in a stroller, though she says Cian will likely want to walk most of the way. She’s proud to represent an organization with a track record of breakthroughs that help babies – including hers.

“If it wasn’t for the March of Dimes,” she said, “who knows?”

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