Kristie McNealy is a medical doctor and mother of three, who became a work-at-home mom after the premature birth of her daughter in 2005. She blogs about women’s and children’s health topics, including high risk pregnancy and prematurity at KristieMcNealy.com.

Stricken with polio himself, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis in 1938, to help fight the worsening waves of the polio epidemic in the United States. While the name didn’t officially change until 1979, comedian Eddie Cantor coined the phrase “March of Dimes” while encouraging radio listeners to send their dimes to the White House to help fight this crippling disease.

Over the past 70 years, research funded by the March of Dimes has led to the development of the polio vaccine, as well as numerous other breakthroughs in the areas of birth defects and infant health, including newborn screening tests for diseases like PKU, bone marrow transplants for genetic diseases and even fetal surgery to correct certain birth defects. Work performed and funded by the March of Dimes has led to a huge reduction in neural tube defects in the US through folic acid supplementation.

The March of Dimes matters to me because my own daughter’s life was saved by surfactant, a drug that helps preemies expand their fragile, immature lungs - a drug that was developed through research funded by the March of Dimes. Before the development of this life saving drug, my daughter and many other babies like her either lost their lives or suffered from life long breathing problems as a result of their premature birth.

While the March of Dimes has been working to reduce the rate of prematurity and infant mortality since 1958, in January 2003, they officially kicked off their multimillion dollar prematurity campaign. The campaign continues to work to reduce the incidence of prematurity, while simultaneously raising awareness about the problem of preterm birth. In addition to research and public awareness campaigns, the March of Dimes also provides much needed emotional support to families experiencing the tragedy of preterm birth.

Prematurity impacts 1 in 8 babies born in the US - that’s a baby every minute - and the problem is increasing! Preterm birth is the leading cause of newborn mortality in the US, and preemies are at risk for a multitude of lifelong complications, like lung disease, developmental and social problems, poor school performance and reduced fertility. With an estimated financial cost of $26.2 billion in 2005, premature birth impacts everyone, whether you know a preemie or not.

Please help fund the research and community outreach supported by the March of Dimes by participating in The One Dollar Give today!

To donate $1 to March of Dimes to help save the lives of millions of preemies, click here. Please use “One Dollar Give” in the dedication portion of the donation form. After you’ve donated, come back and vote in the poll so that we can count donations!

 Loading ...

(Yes, the poll offers you the choice between “Yes.” and “Yes.” because I didn’t think we really needed to count the “No” answers, and the poll required two choices! Hey, it’s not a perfect system, but it’ll work!)