Oceanside CA— For Trish and Anthony Guidi, the San Diego March for Babies Ambassador Family, March for Babies is a celebration of the baby their call their ‘miracle.’
At just more than halfway through her pregnancy Trish faced a life-threatening appendix rupture which required doctors to deliver daughter Madelyn months before her due date. Madelyn weighed only 1.9 pounds and spent more than four months in the UC San Diego Health Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
“Her tiny hand was the size of a thumbprint,” said mom Trish Guidi. “The March of Dimes makes it possible for babies such as mine to not only survive, but thrive.”
Today Madelyn is a happy and healthy toddler who joins her parents and thousands of local residents at March for Babies in Oceanside on April 9 and in San Diego on April 23. March for Babies—the nation’s oldest fundraising walk – honors babies born healthy and those who need help to survive and thrive. March for Babies takes place April 9 at the Pier Amphitheatre in Oceanside, and on April 23 at Balboa Park in San Diego. Details and registration information can be found at www.marchforbabies.org.
Funds raised through March for Babies help in the fight against premature birth, now the leading global cause of death for children under five years old. The United States preterm birth rate was 9.6 percent in 2014, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, and ranks among the worst in high-resource countries. California, where the preterm birth rate was 8.3 percent in 2014, lower than the national rate of 9.6 percent, had the fifth-lowest in the country. San Diego fared far better than many large cities in California – with a preterm birth rate that mirrors the State’s 8.3%.
About March for Babies
For more than 75 years, moms and babies have benefited from March of Dimes research, education, vaccines, and breakthroughs. Find out how you can help raise funds to prevent premature birth and birth defects by walking in March for Babies at marchforbabies.org. Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. The 2016 March for Babies is sponsored nationally by the March of Dimes number one corporate supporter Kmart, Famous Footwear, Macy’s, Cigna, United Airlines, and Mission Pharmacal.
About March of Dimes California
In 2015 the March of Dimes funded 26 research grants totaling $6 million to California research institutions including UC Irvine, UC Berkeley and $4 million to the March of Dimes Prematurity Research Center at Stanford University, the first of five national trans-disciplinary research centers. In 2015, March of Dimes legislative advocacy efforts resulted in 8 new bills being passed with a focus on helping all babies have a healthy start in life. More than $300,000 in community service grant funds is being distributed to local California organizations in support of March of Dimes mission. Fundraising events held in California, such as: the annual March for Babies® walks, Signature Chefs Auctions®; and March of Dimes Celebration of Babies®: A Hollywood Luncheon; raise millions of dollars to fund research, advocacy, community programs, education, and support for moms, babies and families in our communities. Follow March of Dimes, California efforts on Facebook and Twitter.