MARCH FOR BABIES
Annual event raises awareness, funds to prevent causes of infant death
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.>> Supporters of all ages gathered and walked on Sunday at the annual March for Babies in Saratoga Springs.
Hundreds of babies, parents, family members and friends, as well as some who have lost a young loved one, marched around Congress Park on Sunday morning in a collective effort to help babies get a healthy start in life.
The local march, part of the largest annual fundraising event for this cause, was expected to raise $75,000 for the March of Dimes mission to prevent birth defects, premature birth and other causes of infant death and disability.
Among the participants on Sunday was 17-year-old Andrew Cannon of Team Andrew’s Drive. Cannon was born early at 24 weeks due to a placental abruption. He weighed just one pound and spent his first six months in a neonatal intensive care unit. At three months, he was diagnosed with necrotizing enterocolitis and went through several surgeries to remove part of his intestine. Cannon’s mom and grandmother never left his side and to this day call him their “miracle child.” His parents Julie and John Cannon are extremely proud of the young man their son has become.
Now Andrew is a junior
at Shenendehowa High School. In the future, he hopes to study biomedical engineering.
“I want to basically give back to the people that helped me survive,” he said at the event on Sunday. His ultimate goal is to create a difference in the lives of babies and their families and decrease the mortality rate of babies born prematurely.
The entire Cannon family is dedicated to making sure others know that support is important when it comes in premature birth.
“Let’s do it for the babies,” said Saratoga Springs Mayor Joanne Yepsen at Sunday’s march. “Let’s make sure we help one another. That’s what our city is all about, being supportive of one another in a time of need. And there’s no better time of need than when a baby is born premature. It takes a whole village.”
Event organizer Korie Martin from the March of Dimes was glad to see the community come together on Sunday. “I’m so excited. It’s been great,” she said, noting that the turnout included about 300 to 350 walkers.
New this year to the Saratoga Springs March for Babies, which has been around for about 15 years, was a Memory Mile and March for Babies Memory Garden. This was an opportunity for those walkers who have experienced loss to remember their loved one in a peaceful setting at the event.
Premature birth is the leading cause of death among babies in the United States. It affects about 380,000 babies one in every 10 - born each year, including 237,200 annually in New York State. Funds raised by the March for Babies support programs that help moms-tobe have full term pregnancies and healthy babies, advocate for legislation that help moms and babies, research the problems that threaten babies in order to prevent them, provide resources to improve maternal and child health and educate families from preconception.
For more information about the March of Dimes organization and its efforts, or to donate, visit www.marchforbabies.org.