Alex and Ben Lynes are going on two years old and active as ever. For their mother, Katie, the sight is amazing since these little boys, especially Alex, have struggled to survive since the moment they came into the world.
Katie Lynes says, "Ben was almost 5 pounds which is normal for a 33 week baby, but Alex was only 2 pounds 2 ounces so just slightly bigger than a water bottle. He's not even two and he's had five surgeries."
Born prematurely, Ben had to spend a few weeks in the hospital but Alex was there for almost two and a half months.
She says, "You deal with all the new mother fears and then on top of that your child is sick and you get these phone calls in the middle of the night and early in the morning that you need to come to the hospital because your baby is sick."
According to Mike Spitzmiller, chairman of the Greenville walk for The March of Dimes the Lynes are not alone.
He says, "Out of the one in six babies that are born premature, 50 percent of them end up with a life long disability. So if there are things we can do to help them now, that can help our community over the long term."
You'll remember the fundraisers last year in the Upstate. The money the March of Dimes raises.helps with medicine and treatment for children like Alex. It also goes toward educating parents on the importance of prenatal care, something that can cut down on the number of children born too early.
Lynes says, "It's a roller coaster I wouldn't wish on anyone. Prematurity is something you really don't understand until you have been through it. "
Katie says thanks to the help of the March of Dimes she and her husband were prepared as soon as they found out the boys were coming early and, because of the agency's support, these little guys are now one of the success stories.
The Upstate March of Dimes hopes to raise 1.8 million dollars this year. The walk to raise money is April 25th. To help with the cause click on this link.
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