On Sunday, April 29, hundreds from the Greater Mystic area will gather for March for Babies at Olde Mistick Village to benefit the March of Dimes. Leading the festivities will be Bryan and Erin Saylor of Quaker Hill, along with their daughter Addison, who will serve as the 2012 Greater Mystic Ambassador family. They will share their family’s personal experience with premature birth, and thank walkers for their commitment to the March of Dimes mission to give all babies a healthy start.
In the spring of 2008, Erin and Bryan were eagerly awaiting the birth of their twins, due at the end of July. On March 29, nearly four months too soon, Alexander and Hannah were delivered unexpectedly and passed away just hours later. In April 2010, the family celebrated the birth of daughter Addison, who was also born premature. Born seven weeks early and weighing less than five pounds, she spent over two weeks receiving neonatal intensive care at UConn Health Center.
“We’ve seen first-hand what research and support can
do to bring a baby safely into this world. We had a tragic experience four years ago, but just two years later we saw the advancement in neonatal care that was directly related to research being done,” said Erin. “We said when the twins died that their lives would matter and we would continue to honor them. Their lives do matter and have touched many already; this is just another way we can continue this very personal mission.”
“The March of Dimes has been a part of my family’s life since my older brother was born at 30 weeks 34 years ago,” continued Erin. “My mom was in awe of the advances in neonatal care when she supported us through Addie’s NICU stay. And March of Dimes continues to be relevant to our lives as I am pregnant with our fourth child due June 25, 2012.”
March for Babies participants can meet the family and hear
their story at March for Babies at Olde Mistick Village
in Mystic on Sunday, April 29. Funds raised by March for Babies in Connecticut help support prenatal wellness programs, research grants, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) family support programs and advocacy efforts for stronger, healthier babies.
Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. with the walk kicking off at 8:30 a.m. To register for the event, visit marchforbabies.org or marchofdimes.com/ct.
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Greater Mystic March for Babies is proudly sponsored by Mohegan Sun, Bob’s Discount Furniture; Soft Rock 106.5 WBMW and Jammin 107.7. Statewide sponsors include NBC Connecticut and Comcast. March for Babies is
sponsored nationally by the March of Dimes number one corporate supporter Kmart, Farmers Insurance Group, Cigna, Famous Footwear, Sanofi Pasteur, FedEx, Mission Pharmacal, Watson Pharmaceuticals, First Response, and United Airlines.
The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant
mortality. For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org. Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
