March of Dimes

I've decided that 50% of all sales through April 20th will be donated to March of Dimes. I have, unfortunately, had a few friends lose their children due to preterm labor or undiscovered birth defects. My heart goes out to them as I can't image the hurt they have gone through. Please help Gia Rose Designs raise money to prevent other families from the same heart ache.

Here's a letter from my friend Sam, who lost her son last May.

"May 19, 2010 is a day Adam and I will remember forever. Our beautiful son, James Otto G**** was born at just 34 weeks and 6 days. We knew James was going to have a difficult start, prior to his birth doctors discovered five heart defects. The heart defects were all treatable with today’s pre- and postnatal medical advances, thanks in part to the work of wonderful organizations like the March of Dimes. Although today’s prenatal medical advances are good, they were not enough to save James. In the end it was an undiagnosed condition, Tracheal Atresia (the absence of a trachea) that took his life. He weighed in at a mere 4 pounds and was 16 inches long. We only had a short four and a half hours with him, but they are four and a half hours that have changed our lives forever.

James is just one of the thousands of babies that are born too soon, too small and often very sick. We are walking in honor of our son James by supporting the March of Dimes cause to prevent another family from having to go through losing a child.

The money we raise will support March of Dimes research and programs that help mothers have full-term pregnancies and give birth to healthy babies. Funds will also be used to bring comfort and information to families with a baby in newborn intensive care. We have set a goal of $2,000 for this year’s walk. We need your help to reach this goal!"

Please feel free to cross post and spread the word! Let's help Sam raise her $2k (or more!)