March of Dimes Spaghetti Supper is Tuesday
The March of Dimes will host a spaghetti supper from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Monroe Veterans of Foreign Wars. Tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for children. Children under the age of 4 can eat for free.On March 14 and March 18 Papa Murphy's will donate 10 percent of all sales to the March of Dimes.
The March for Babies, formerly known as WalkAmerica, will be held at 8:30 a.m. April 26 at St. John's United Church of Christ. People who wish to donate or participate can call (800) 747-3463.
MONROE - Gina Haldiman calls her two children, Kyle and Makenzie, her little miracles.
They were born 14 weeks premature on March 1, 2002 at St. Mary's Hospital in Madison.
Both children weighed less than 2 pounds and both were about 12 inches long.
At 20 weeks Haldiman's doctors put her on part-time bed rest. At 24 weeks she was on full-time bed rest. Two weeks later she gave birth to her two babies.
There was no guarantee her two children would be OK.
"They were baptized an hour after they were born," she said, thinking of that difficult period when she didn't know if either would make it. "They were lucky to come home."
The children were so small, she said, that her husband, Mike, was able to put his wedding ring around their arms all the way up to their shoulders.
"There legs were about the size of my index finger," she said. "They were so tiny."
Kyle had the tougher time of the two, she said. He required an oxygen tube, a breathing monitor and "lots of medication," she added.
There were four nights when doctors suggested she stay at the hospital because they didn't know if Kyle would make it.
"There was a lot of prayer," Haldiman said.
For weeks the babies stayed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the hospital.
Premature babies often run dangerous health risks that can lead to long-term affects such as vision and hearing problems and cerebral palsy.
Haldiman said she couldn't have gotten through everything without the support of family, friends and the March of Dimes.
The March of Dimes helped pay for medicines and care for premature babies and also provided emotional support to the family. The Haldimans are the ambassadors for this year's March of Dimes events.
For several weeks Haldiman spent time at the hospital with her children, hoping and praying they would come home.
Makenzie came home May 15 but Kyle had to stay in the hospital until June 4.
Makenzie weighed 5 pounds 2 ounces when she came home. Kyle weighed 6 pounds 2 ounces.
Both children have made remarkable progress, Haldiman said. Neither of them have any long-term affects of a premature birth.
They are active 6-year-old children who attend St. Victor School, and they enjoy playing together at home.
"We're pretty darn fortunate," she said as she hugged the children. "They don't understand it right now but someday they'll know."
They were born 14 weeks premature on March 1, 2002 at St. Mary's Hospital in Madison.
Both children weighed less than 2 pounds and both were about 12 inches long.
At 20 weeks Haldiman's doctors put her on part-time bed rest. At 24 weeks she was on full-time bed rest. Two weeks later she gave birth to her two babies.
There was no guarantee her two children would be OK.
"They were baptized an hour after they were born," she said, thinking of that difficult period when she didn't know if either would make it. "They were lucky to come home."
The children were so small, she said, that her husband, Mike, was able to put his wedding ring around their arms all the way up to their shoulders.
"There legs were about the size of my index finger," she said. "They were so tiny."
Kyle had the tougher time of the two, she said. He required an oxygen tube, a breathing monitor and "lots of medication," she added.
There were four nights when doctors suggested she stay at the hospital because they didn't know if Kyle would make it.
"There was a lot of prayer," Haldiman said.
For weeks the babies stayed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the hospital.
Premature babies often run dangerous health risks that can lead to long-term affects such as vision and hearing problems and cerebral palsy.
Haldiman said she couldn't have gotten through everything without the support of family, friends and the March of Dimes.
The March of Dimes helped pay for medicines and care for premature babies and also provided emotional support to the family. The Haldimans are the ambassadors for this year's March of Dimes events.
For several weeks Haldiman spent time at the hospital with her children, hoping and praying they would come home.
Makenzie came home May 15 but Kyle had to stay in the hospital until June 4.
Makenzie weighed 5 pounds 2 ounces when she came home. Kyle weighed 6 pounds 2 ounces.
Both children have made remarkable progress, Haldiman said. Neither of them have any long-term affects of a premature birth.
They are active 6-year-old children who attend St. Victor School, and they enjoy playing together at home.
"We're pretty darn fortunate," she said as she hugged the children. "They don't understand it right now but someday they'll know."