More? Yes, More!

Life is constantly moving forward.

The last decade has been filled with an incredible lot. When I think about it ... I get a little overwhelmed. How do you achieve more the next ten years? The thought leaves me breathless.

During the last ten years I graduated from college, married, delivered quadruplets, again graduated from college, lived in three states(Louisiana, Texas, and Oklahoma) moved six times, and held numerous jobs (often a few jobs at once).

While I am not terribly political I frequently volunteer for different agencies focused on issues I care about. March of Dimes certainly tops my list of most beloved nonprofits. Locally and nationally I volunteered for them .... and now I am a March of Dimes employee.

Participating in SHARE, a March of Dimes online community for current and graduated NICU families, opened my eyes to the incredible work March of Dimes does to save babies.

I had no idea that this organization was started by President FD Roosevelt during the days of Polio. They funded research that lead to the Salk vaccine ... the polio immunization.

The first two days of life *every* baby in the United States benefits from the fruits of research funded by March of Dimes, including APGAR. Working in the NICU, I know that steroids and surfactant (both discovered due to research funded by March of Dimes) helps premature lungs work better. When I visit moms on bed rest I know that the March of Dimes folic acid campaign has prevented many alarming birth defects like spina bifida.

My enthusiasm was contagious. Brett and our three surviving children volunteered with us. Family and friends across the nation helped us fundraise. Benjamin, Callie, and Donovan stood on a Texarkana stage during Walk America as local March of Dimes Ambassadors. Our story has been shared with media locally and nationwide. Public awareness and fundraising for the mission has been something we did gratefully on behalf of what the March of Dimes gave us.

For nearly one year I've worked as a March of Dimes NICU Family Support Specialist at an Oklahoma hospital. Each day I support families on bed rest or in the NICU by holding hands, listening to stories, assisting with bedside bonding, offering activities, and organizing/speaking at parent discussion hours. Everything I do at the hospital is focused on family.

In October I will spend three days in Washington, DC. There I will assist staff at two conferences and speak about my job with SHARE volunteers from across the nation. There is something very precious about speaking to volunteers (once my peers) as a March of Dimes staff person. It is as exciting as it is bittersweet because it represents another transition in my life. Another time of changing and rediscovering. A growing place.

A lot has happened in just ten years. This is undeniable. Eagerly I await the next ten years. How will I top the last ten? I have a feeling that there is more to come ... as long as we are alive there is always more to come.

I look forward to it.

"Look well to this day. Yesterday is but a dream and tomorrow is only a vision. But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope." - Francis Gray