[SweetCuteness]

***I couldn't find the forum rules, so I hope I'm not breaking them by posting this.

I need your help! As a young woman thinking of having babies in the next few years, I fear having a premature baby or one with birth defects as my cousin was born premie with developmental defects. That said, I?ve made it my personal mission to help the March of Dimes. I am the Team Captain for CIGNA HealthCare?s local team. CIGNA is a local and national sponsor ? we believe that together we can save babies.

So ? here?s how I need your help. I?ve been trying desperately to collect donations locally with not much luck. So with the help of March of Dimes I set up a team and personal webpage for donations? with that, the money goes directly to the March of Dimes (MOD). The website accepts credit cards, debit cards, PayPal, and even international donations. Your donation is tax deductible and you will receive a receipt for your tax records. To make a donation, please either go to my personal MOD webpage: http://www.walkamerica.org/BrittanyBriggs, or my team?s webpage: http://www.walkamerica.org/296271.

EVERYONE has been affected by the March of Dimes ? see the bullet points at the bottom of this post for the different ways that every single person has been affected. Please help me on my mission to save babies. I?m sorry for such a long post, but I?m really passionate about this and would love your help.
FACTS (from MOD website):
Premature birth is the #1 cause of newborn death. It has reached epidemic proportions in the U.S., endangering the lives of more than half a million babies. And it's growing at an alarming rate. That's why we need your participation.

Premature birth can happen to any pregnant woman, and no one knows why. The March of Dimes is in the midst of a multi-year, multimillion-dollar campaign to address this growing problem. With your support, the March of Dimes can continue to fund research and programs to prevent premature birth and other threats to babies' health.

The money raised goes directly to research to find the causes of premature birth and how it can be prevented, to support families whose babies must spend time in neonatal intensive care units and to provide women with the latest information on having a healthy pregnancy.

HOW YOU?VE BEEN AFFECTED:
- Is your spouse or are you currently expecting a baby?
You probably know it?s important to receive prenatal care, one of the best ways to ensure a healthy birth. Also, you probably know to take at least 400 micrograms of folic acid a day through a multivitamin or fortified cereal to greatly reduce the risk of birth defects of the brain and spinal cord. The March of Dimes works to make sure these important steps are a part of everyone?s plan to have a healthy baby.

- Do you have a child or grandchild who was born prematurely especially in the past 25 years?
Chances are that child benefited from a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; a concept pioneered by the March of Dimes, and artificial surfactant a life saving substance. March of Dimes researchers helped develop surfactant and the proper way to administer it to enable premature lungs to expand and contract. It saves thousands of babies each year.

- Do you have a child or grandchild 3 years or younger?
You?ve benefited from the March of Dimes support of the ?Back to Sleep? initiative to make sure babies should sleep on their side or back to prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

- Do you have a child or grandchild 6 years old or younger?
You?ve benefited from the March of Dimes efforts to ensure children receive the rubella vaccine before starting school.

- Do you have a child or grandchild 20 years old or younger?
In that time, the March of Dimes has funded research into the newborn test that identifies sickle cell anemia, allowing for immediate and effective treatment.

- Are you or do you have a child or grandchild 30 years old or younger?
You and your family have benefited from the PKU test given to every baby at birth. Before this test, families would take home their child unaware of special needs, and the condition would cause the child to develop mental retardation.

- Have you ever received a polio vaccination?
Of course, almost everyone in America has! Thanks to the research behind the Salk and Sabine vaccines funded by the March of Dimes, polio has been nearly eradicated.

THANK YOU FOR READING THIS!!!