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by joy holden connect / l o c a l p r o f i l e ?m arch of
dimes
fights for premature babies both in the labs and in the nicus,? susie johnson, the executive director of market development for the
march
of
dimes
capital area division, shares. whether it?s
research
or nicu support,
march
of
dimes
does all it can to fulfill it?s mission of improving the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. before you check out because you think the
march
of
dimes
doesn?t relate to you, ask yourself the same questions susie asks every time she speaks somewhere: do you have polio? were you born with a birth defect? were you premature? did your baby have a heel prick or an apgar score? whether a yes or a no, your answers to these connect you to this organization. president franklin d. roosevelt founded the
march
of
dimes
in 1938 to find a cure for polio. americans contributed their
dimes
and more to fund the genius dr. jonas salk as he devoted years to
research
. dr. salk discovered a vaccine for polio, but the
march
of
dimes
did not end. ?once you accomplish a mission you ask, ?do we stop or do we continue this good work?? so the organization progressed to fighting prematurity, and that?s what they?ve been doing ever since,? susie says. ?e key to defeating both polio and prematurity is
research
. ?e changes happen in the laboratory over time. susie clarifies, ?our primary focus is
research
. on a daily basis, we have top doctors and scientists spread out over five to six
research
centers trying to figure out what is causing the mom to go into premature labor. ?ey are constantly testing different scenarios to try to come up with ways to improve the rate of these premature babies.? although
research
may be difficult for people to support because they cannot actively observe the changes, it is critical. ?many people disregard
research
because they cannot see the tangible results. ?ough you can?t see it, touch it, or feel it, it is the prime reason that we are able to see a baby leave the nicu or see a premature baby excelling later in life. it is the foundation of progress,? susie points out. progress also happens in the nicus themselves where the
march
of
dimes
supports the families there. neonatal intensive care units are difficult places where tiny babies struggle to survive at each moment. ?e parents of these little miracles are often overwhelmed, tired, and bewildered. all of the devices and medical terminology can be daunting m a r c h o f
dimes
46 brparents.com |
march
2017
babies-march-nicu-47.html