News Release
March 24, 2006
Oakland Elementary School Teacher Candice Reese And Family Selected As 2006 Ambassador Family For March Of Dimes
The March of Dimes today announced the appointment of its 2006 Denver-area Ambassador Family. The Reese family (Candice and Randy, and their children Erica, 2, and Alicia, 1) will serve as representatives of the March of Dimes mission in the community throughout the year.
Candice Reese is a fourth-grade teacher at Oakland Elementary School (4580 Dearborn St.) in Montbello. Oakland principal Reggie Robinson said Candice also was selected as a "Mile High Teacher" for Mayor John Hickenlooper's teacher recognition program. Reese attended McGlone Elementary School, Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School and graduated from Montbello High School. Robinson described her as an "awesome" teacher.
One of the family's first major public events will be March of Dimes WalkAmerica on Saturday, April 29 at Civic Center Park. Candice and Randy will address participants during the opening ceremony and the entire family will cut the start-line ribbon and lead the walk. The Reeses were selected to serve as the 2006 Ambassador Family because of their experience with premature birth. Nevaeh LaJoy Reese, Candice and Randy's first daughter, was born three months too soon on December 1, 2002. She weighed just one pound, 11 ounces. No medical reason could be found for her early arrival.
"At a time when most families are delighting in their baby's first days, we were on pins and needles, simply trying to survive," recalls Candice. On Nevaeh's third day, an air pocket developed in her lungs. It later ruptured. She died on December 9, 2002, at eight days old.
"The Reese family has shown great strength and perseverance in the face of prematurity and we want to honor their ultimate victory," says Barbara Hughes, chair of the March of Dimes Denver board of directors. "In selecting them to serve as our ambassadors, we also hope to cast a spotlight on the prematurity crisis. Too often premature birth is not recognized as a serious issue. It is in fact the biggest health problem facing American babies today. It can, and does, kill. And, many babies who survive go on to have lifelong disabilities and related medical conditions."
Prematurity (when a baby is born three or more weeks before its due date) has risen 30 percent since 1981. It is the leading cause of death for newborn babies nationwide and in Colorado. In more than half the cases, the causes of prematurity are not known. In an average year, half a million babies in the U.S. are born too soon. This includes more than 8,000 in Colorado. Annual national hospital charges for premature birth amount to an estimated $16 billion.
The Reeses live in Brighton. Randy is an engineer with the utility cooperative United Power. "It's not easy for us to share our story," Candice says. "There will always be a hole in our family and in our hearts. And there will always be questions, like, Why did this happen? Could it have been prevented? But we want to share our experience with others because we want to raise awareness of what an important issue prematurity is."
Adds Randy, "It isn't just a matter of a tiny baby that will eventually get bigger and be okay, which is what many people think. Premature birth is a common, serious and costly problem that involves everyone - parents, healthcare providers, employers, taxpayers. Whether you know it or not, your life is impacted by premature birth."
In the most recent Gallup survey taken in Colorado, only 36 percent of those surveyed identified premature birth as a "very serious" or "extremely serious" issue. To address premature birth, the March of Dimes launched the Prematurity Campaign in 2003. This public health initiative seeks to lessen the preterm birth rate and raise awareness. Over the seven-year campaign, the March of Dimes will invest $75 million nationwide in scientific research and health education. The Prematurity Campaign is funded by March of Dimes fundraising events like WalkAmerica.
A national nonprofit health organization founded in 1938, the March of Dimes is dedicated to improving the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.
To achieve its mission, the organization funds research, community services, education and advocacy. In Colorado, the March of Dimes currently funds $1.7 million in healthy-baby programs. More information is available at marchofdimes.com/colorado.
For more information, contact Becky Herlinger, March of Dimes, at 303-692-0011 or bherlinger@marchofdimes.com.