News From Terre Haute, Indiana

Local & Bistate

Related Photos

  • Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Best seat: Mara Shearer stayed warm and cozy waiting for the start of the March of Dimes walk in Terre Haute early Saturday morning. Her dad Justin said they were there to support the walk.

    MET042812march shearer .jpg

Discussion

Welcome to our online comments feature. We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean. We reserve the right to remove comments that are obscene, racist or abusive and statements that are false or unverifiable as well as posts that are attacking other users. Repeat offenders will be blocked. You may flag objectionable comments for review by a moderator.
comments powered by Disqus
April 29, 2012

Rain does little to dampen efforts of walkers

Brian Boyce The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Activists for premature babies proved a little rain doesn’t have to ruin a parade.

More than 1,000 volunteers crowded around Indiana State University’s Memorial Stadium while skies remained dark. The March of Dimes’ signature walk launched just hours after chilly rain dampened the Wabash Valley Saturday morning. But launch the Walk for Babies did nonetheless.

Nikki Simpson, Wabash Valley division director of the March of Dimes, said more than $170,000 had been tallied by Saturday afternoon, with more funds coming in toward their goal of $190,000. Stormy morning weather had some participants unable to attend and that money is expected later this week, she said.

Overall, about 1,000 walkers participated despite temperatures in the low 40s.

“We had a big crowd,” Simpson said that afternoon, noting the group’s appreciation.

This year, 175 teams registered to raise funds for the walk which took babies in strollers, parents and grandparents down Brown Avenue to Ohio Boulevard, around Deming Park and back for a celebratory party in the inaugural Mission Marketplace. More than 500 participants were at the stadium’s arches before 9 a.m., milling about while wrapped in blankets, carrying coffee and doughnuts.

Rain or shine, Mandy Slater said her family walks regardless.

“We’ve done it for eight years,” she said, hugging her children intermittently while recalling the miracle of their survival.

Triplets born March 16, 2004, her babies came 11 weeks early and ranged in weight from 2 pounds, 2 ounces to 2 pounds, 13 ounces, she said. In addition to her own preeclampsia, a form of hypertension which can occur in  pregnant women, two of her babies developed pulmonary interstitial emphysema and one suffered a collapsed lung. Crediting the neonatal unit of St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis, as well as the local unit at Union Hospital, she said the research funded by March of Dimes’ projects is invaluable.

Still, doctor after doctor told her family that medicine alone couldn’t explain her children’s survival, and part of her every year for her is participating in the walk. Her husband, Aaron, said the family has raised more than $16,000 on behalf of the March of Dimes over the years.

“So it’s a big celebration for us,” she said with Hayden, Hank, and Hannah by her side. All “A” students at Jackson Township Elementary School in Clay County, the kids are not only alive, but doing well, she said.

Initiated in 1970, the March for Babies is America’s original walk, Simpson said. Each year, volunteers across the country raise funds on behalf of babies born premature or ill. According to information provided by the organization, more than 500,000 American babies are born premature each year. In Indiana alone, the condition strikes 1 in 7. In addition to funding research, the March of Dimes also provides educational tools and support to families with premature babies.

Brian Boyce can be reached at 812-231-4253 or brian.boyce@tribstar.com.

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Local & Bistate
Latest News
Community Calendar
Loading…
Events by eviesays.com
TribStar.com Poll
AP Video
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest Probe Begins After Conn. Commuter Trains Crash NTSB Begins Investigation Into Conn. Train Crash Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country Raw: Texas Gov. Flies Over Tornado Damage NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor Raw: Obama Sits Down With Elementary Kids CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools Raw: Gun Scare Mars Cannes Film Festival Ousted IRS Chief: Errors Not Caused by Politics China, Others Want What's Under the Arctic Ice $1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest Raw: Suicide Bomber Kills 2 Americans, 13 Others Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool Dying Man's Blinks Lead to Murder Conviction Raw: Germany Protestors Picket Barbie House One Million Evacuated As Cyclone Hits Bangladesh Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge
NDN Video
Twiggy, the Water Skiing Squirrel Sailor Surprises His Mom At Her CU Denver Graduation Ceremony Official: ‘Amazing’ No One Was Killed In CT Train Crash Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country Coffee Stop Leads To Arrest Of YouTube Sensation Wanted For Murder Bearded Dragon Reunited With Owner Marine Reunited with Warzone Companion Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool Beyonce Is Pregnant! SF baseball player overpaid $500,000 RETURNS money -- and team says KEEP IT $1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest Dad returns from Afghanistan, surprises family during Rays' first pitch See Jennifer Lopez's New $10m Hamptons Mansion Woman tricked into taking abortion pill Emma Watson Goes Pantless IRS scandal: Republicans seek to tie Obama to agency's woes Play of the Day: Flipping to Safety Pregnant Kim Kardashian Squeezes Her Swollen Feet Into Stilettos Top Videos of the Week: Angry Taco Bell Guy, Glacier Moves on House, Dog Hates Baths Cindy Crawford Stuns At Cannes
Parade
Magazine
Click HERE to read all your Parade favorites including Hollywood Wire, Celebrity interviews and photo galleries, Food recipes and cooking tips, Games and lots more.
  • -

     

    March 12, 2010

activity
Real Estate News