Mike Novosel and Nancy Fendley Novosel can attest to the joys that a child can bring. They count their blessings twice because they have twins, Luke and Ryan. The Novosels have been named by the March of Dimes as the 2005 Ambassador Family for the Chicago lakefront site of WalkAmerica, the fundraiser scheduled for Sunday, April 24, at Grant Park.
Nancy Fendley Novosel was 23 weeks pregnant and experiencing contractions when she was admitted to Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Although she received magnesium sulfate to stop the contractions, it didn't work. She delivered Luke and Ryan in her second trimester, at just 26 weeks, 3 days gestation. Luke weighed 1 lb. 15 oz. and Ryan 1 lb. 11 oz. and each was 12 inches long. "We were in disbelief at Luke and Ryan's early arrival. They were due in mid-June and it was only March. We just couldn't imagine what it would be like and what they would look like when they were born," said Nancy.
Their hands and forearms were so small that their dad Mike could slip his wedding band over them. Their skin was so translucent that you could see through to their veins. Luke and Ryan were unable to breathe, eat, or regulate their own body temperature. The twins were immediately put on life-saving ventilators in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and the machines breathed for them for five weeks. The size of their diapers was comparable to a post-it note. Nancy reminisced, "I carried that diaper with me for a year after they were born. It was such a reminder of the fragility of life." March of Dimes research grantees have contributed to the development of the many lifesaving treatments used in the NICUs today.
Because the boys' weight dropped to a pound and a half, Mike and Nancy did not get to hold Luke until he was a week old and Ryan until he was two weeks old. The twins both experienced chronic lung problems, feeding issues, jaundice and reflux. In addition, Ryan also experienced more severe issues. He had a brain bleed, corresponding hydrocephalus (water on the brain), a hemangioma that invaded his eye socket, early stages of Retinopothy of Prematurity (ROP), along with several other problems.
There were several moments where Nancy and Mike thought that they would lose Ryan. At four days old, Ryan coughed up a teaspoon of blood. This was a large amount considering the size of his body. "I was in my hospital room recovering from my C-section, when the doctor came and told us the news of Ryan's blood loss. He told us that Ryan might die from this. Without hesitation, we quickly had the boys baptized in a minute-long ceremony beside their incubators. The next day was one of the worst of our lives, as we waited to see if he would survive."
Luke and Ryan continued to work past such challenges and did survive after a lengthy stay in the NICU; Luke was released on his due date after three months, and Ryan stayed four months. Many family members and friends provided the needed support for Nancy and Mike during the boys' ordeal.
"It is a miracle that both of my boys are alive and healthy today. Hitting every developmental milestone, and passing a few, you would never know of Luke and Ryan's extremely premature birth. There is not a day that passes that Mike and I do not meet eyes and without words express our immense gratitude for our many blessings," beams Nancy. Mike and their sons will lead more than 10,000 walkers along the Chicago lakefront. They will walk with other Chicago parents as a part of an Organization they formed called Chicago Parents of Preemies (CPoP; chipreemie@yahoo.com). Their organization is dedicated to supporting causes like the March of Dimes. Since its inception, the Fendley Novosel family and other members have raised nearly $5,000, and hope to increase this by much more by the walk date in April.
There is no known cause for 50 percent of the babies who are born too soon. Each year more than 480,000 babies are born prematurely in the United States. That's why, in 2003, the March of Dimes launched a nationwide $75 million prematurity campaign to raise public awareness about the problem and help fund research and education to decrease the rate of preterm birth.
The funds raised from WalkAmerica will be used to help support research and education for this new Prematurity Campaign. There are six Walk sites in the Chicagoland area. For Walk locations and to find out how to participate in WalkAmerica, please call the March of Dimes at (800) 244 -WALK or visit walkamerica.org.
The March of Dimes WalkAmerica has raised more than $1 billion for healthy babies since it began in 1970. Ninety-two cents of every dollar raised in Illinois goes into community service, advocacy, research and education programs to help all babies have a healthy start in life.
The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects 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 five-year campaign to address the increasing rate of premature birth. |
