Ambassador for March of Dimes

Twenty-one-month-old Charlotte Henderlite of Watertown, Connecticut has been selected to represent the March of Dimes Connecticut Chapter as a local Ambassador during 2006. As ambassadors, Charlotte ‘s parents, Michele Morcey and Paul Henderlite, will share their story so that volunteers and sponsors will understand how participating in WalkAmerica and other events helps the March of Dimes to fight premature birth and its lifelong consequences.
Michele was pregnant with twins when at 25.5 weeks into her pregnancy she went into premature labor. Her expected delivery date was October 9 and the twins were born on June 26, nearly four months too soon. Charlotte weighed just 1 pound 8 ounces. To help her lungs develop more quickly, _Charlotte received surfactant therapy. Three weeks later, Charlotte ‘s twin brother, John, passed away due to complications from his early birth.

Charlotte spent nearly four months in the neonatal intensive care units at both Yale-New Haven Hospital and St. Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury receiving specialized care for premature newborns. Today, due to March of Dimes-funded advancements in the treatment of premature babies, such as NICUs and surfactant, Charlotte is happy and thriving. But her parents will never forget the obstacles she had to overcome or the brother that she lost.

“Charlotte has endured surgery, blood transfusions, sepsis, infections and so many other complications from her premature birth,” said Michele. “While she is doing extremely well today, she still receives injections during RSV season to help prevent the respiratory disease. We take her health one day at a time.”

“Our family experienced both sides of the coin because of premature birth. We lost a son who suffered many complications, and we also brought home a daughter who has continued to do well ,” she continued. “We want to share our story and help the March of Dimes raise awareness about prematurity. Every week in the womb is critical for their development and survival.”

The family will be leading the way at March of Dimes WalkAmerica at Quassy Amusement Park in Middlebury on Sunday, April 30, an event to raise money to support research and programs to find the causes of premature birth. Registration will begin at 9 a.m. and WalkAmerica will begin at 10 a.m. To register and for more information, please call the March of Dimes at 1-800-446-9255 or log on to www.walkamerica.org.

WalkAmerica is made possible by the generous support of both walkers and sponsors. March of Dimes thanks local WalkAmerica at Quassy sponsors including Quassy Amusement Park , Wachovia, Lite 100.5 WRCH and Adelphia Cable.

WalkAmerica in Connecticut is proudly presented by NewAlliance Foundation and sponsored by CIGNA, Bob’s Discount Furniture and NBC30 Connecticut News. National WalkAmerica sponsors are CIGNA, Famous Footwear, Farmers Insurance Group, FedEx and Kmart. Additional national sponsorship is provided by Babyfit.com, Continental Airlines, Discovery Health Channel, First Response, Grain Foods Foundation, Mead Johnson Nutritionals and Outdoor Services.

The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies and in 2003 launched a campaign to address the increasing rate of premature birth. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at marchofdimes.com or its Spanish language Web site at nacersano.org.

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