Saturday was a beautiful day in DC and we were honored to participate in the March of Dimes Walk for Babies. This is an amazing event aimed at raising money near and dear to our hearts - combating premature birth. As we entered Nationals Stadium, I was struck by how many people have been affected by the birth of a little one too soon. As I looked around the crowd of thousands, I saw people who had experienced what we had - the NICU rollercoaster, the torture of not having your baby at home and the feeling of handing over the well-being of your child to a team of doctors and nurses. Teams of people were dressed in matching t-shirts honoring their preemies, preemies were being pushed in strollers, and kids were walking with stickers saying "I walk for ME". The event touched my heart in a very special way and I plan to participate for years to come. Next year we will walk with Benton!
We had planned to walk with some of our fellow NICU families and it was great seeing them again. Seeing Henry and Giti, two of Benton's NICU neighbors, was incredible. They are both over 11lbs now and it is so reassuring to see babies flourish outside the NICU as we are in the home stretch ourselves. As we waited for the walk to start we ran into a group of Georgetown nurses, who were all amazed at the progress each NICU grad had made since being discharged.
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| NICU Grads |
As we were talking with the group of NICU nurses, Nick Cortina and his family came up to us. For those of you who don't remember - Nick Cortina is a former preemie who the hospital introduced us to on one of our first days in the NICU. He is a former 25 weeker who is now 20 years old and at school in Georgetown. His story was a wonderful beacon of hope during our most trying times and he has stayed in contact with our family since that first meeting. He has not only provided us with inspiration, but he also gave Benton his friend Jack the Bulldog. Jack the Bulldog has become a barometer for Benton's growth. Jack used to be bigger than Benton but now Benton has surpassed Jack in size and stature. Getting to see Nick and meet his extended family was the icing on the cake for an already perfect day.
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| Meeting Nick Cortina's Family |
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| Posing near Home Plate at Nationals Stadium |
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| Completing the March of Dimes Walk for Babies! |
It was wonderful getting to see you again at the March! I'm so glad I could be a source of hope for you during the emotional rollercoaster. My family and I keep Benton and you in our prayers and we wish you all the best!
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