March for Babies - View Team Page!

One day, all babies will be born healthy. We need to walk to get there.

Team: Team Parker Chen

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Message from the Team Captain

Parker Edward Chen was born 2 1/2 months too soon. He spent 8 months at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital's NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) and 2 months at their PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit). He spent almost 3 months at Children's Specialized Hospital for rehab. Parker finally came home (where he belongs!) on May 8th, 2009. He turned 21 months on January 10th, 2010. He currently has medical issues that still need to be resolved.

Parker’s diagnosis after a blood test is CHARGE Syndrome, a rare genetic abnormality that occurs in 1 out of 10,000 babies. At first it was devastating to us both as parents, because not only was Parker premature, but we had this syndrome to deal with. It looks like he is on the milder side of the spectrum, but he is not without obstacles. Parker does have a trach (since Feb 09), a feeding tube, and is on supplemental oxygen, currently trying to be weaned off. Because of the rarity of this genetic birth defect not a lot of people, even professionals are familiar with this syndrome it has been hard to receive services targeted for Parker’s needs. We are still looking for services to address his inability to consistently swallow and eat by mouth.

I remember the saying someone once told me that God only gives you as much as you can handle. Ed and I used to question that phrase everyday we were in the hospital, through every surgery, every complication, every heart skipping moment, every hurdle that was thrown at us. We always questioned how strong God thought we were. It was not only faith, but the support of our family, friends, inspiring and determined doctors, nurses, social workers, therapists, advocates, and strangers; everyone contributed emotionally, spiritually, and physically to get us through each day.

I encourage you to join our team- with the strength in numbers we can make a difference! Also if you decide to join my team, ask your employers about their company matching program!!!

The mission of March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

Funds raised in March for Babies support research and programs that help moms have full-term pregnancies and babies begin healthy lives. And they will be used to bring comfort and information to families with a baby in newborn intensive care.