The Kring-A-Ling Mission with the March of Dimes

In 2005 over a half-million babies were born prematurely in the United States. I gave birth to two of them right here in Indiana. My family held Julianne and David’s perfectly formed, but incredibly small bodies for all three hours of their beautiful lives. In 2006 after four months of hospitalized bedrest and medical care, I gave birth to two more preemies, Veronica and Thomas.

These are just some of the reasons our family supports the March of Dimes:

• The March of Dimes has a proven track record.
• Its initial campaign over 75 years ago eliminated polio. (You can ask our eight-year-old son all about it. FDR is his favorite president!)
• Not wanting to stop its momentum and positive impact on health, it moved to educating the public about the importance of folic acid before and during pregnancy to reduce the risk of spina bifida.
• Thanks to the work of the March of Dimes, death of premature infants has been  prevented with the aid of surfactant therapies.
• We have two healthy eight year olds thanks to the ability to prolong my pregnancy through hormonal therapies. Veronica and Thomas sing, run, and play because they received steroid therapies in utero, helping their premature lungs more fully develop. These developments were made possible through funding of the March of Dimes.
• We want to raise money for research to prevent premature deaths and birth defects.
• Like both of our sets of twins, my husband and I were born prematurely: we want to raise money to further the research that saved our lives and gave Veronica and Thomas a fighting chance for healthy, normal lives.
• We want to raise awareness of the devastation prematurity can cause and the outcomes for which the March of Dimes strives.
• We want to support other families who have been affected by prematurity - including some of the families whose babies struggle with development daily in the NICU and beyond. I see these struggles regularly in my work as a pediatric physical therapist.

Your charitable donation will help fund the March of Dimes in its ongoing efforts to improve the health of babies and mothers locally and worldwide, educate the public and healthcare professionals, and support local families in the NICU.

November 9th would mark Julianne and David’s tenth birthday, a decade since I’ve held them in my arms. Thank you for honoring our family, a preemie you know, and simply joining us to make sure another baby is born without the risks of prematurity.

Christen, Judson, Veronica and Thomas Kring

2015 March of Dimes Ambassador Family