Caption Max

by Maridelle Hannah

This past Saturday on a rare cloudy and foggy day in Los Angeles my husband, family and I woke up way too early for a weekend and headed out to Exposition Park in Los Angeles.  We were there to participate in the March of Dimes, March for Babies in memory of our twins, Kennedy and Drew, who were born prematurely a few months ago.  The mission of March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.

For the past month or so, my husband and I have been asking for donations via email, Facebook, and in person.  I asked so many times on Facebook that I received a spam warning from them!  We collected money from family, friends, co-workers and even a stranger whose name just showed up one day on our sponsor sheet.  (Thank you stranger!)

We didn’t know what to expect.  By reading blogs, the two main tips I discovered were 1) don’t wear a new pair of shoes and 2) bring tons of tissues.  So we walked up to the registration table to turn in our donations.  As I filled in the dollar amount, the volunteer asked my total.  “It’s our first time.  We have $2,915.  Is that a lot?”  Turns out it IS a lot.  I was awarded a “Top Walker” cap that I proudly wore the entire walk.

It took us a whole two hours to walk the 3 mile route but we weren’t embarrassed by our finish time.  My family and I spent that two hours talking, laughing, crying, and enjoying the time together.  My husband and I reflected about how despite such an unlucky situation, we’ve been lucky in so many other ways.

And right when we crossed the finish line, the sun came out.

The March of Dimes spends 76¢ of every dollar you raise in March for Babies to support research and programs that help babies begin healthy lives. Join the conversation and learn more by visiting March for Babies or Maridelle’s personal donation page.