WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-Hundreds Join March of Dimes

Hundreds Join March of Dimes

Burlington, Vermont - April 28, 2007

This was a big day for families with premature babies. Hundreds of people walked for the March of Dimes on a foggy morning, along the Burlington waterfront. Walkathons are held nationwide, raising millions of dollars.

Theresa and Sean Soares have twins who were born prematurely. The family spent 55 days at Fletcher Allen Health Care's Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit, or NICU. "My boys were born ten weeks too early in 2001," she explained. "They're five years old now. And the prematurity piece wasn't the hard part. The hard part was the results from the prematurity. My son Joseph is affected by Cerebral Palsy, and he struggles with his motor skills, communication and vision, as well as other areas."

The March of Dimes walkathon is a large fundraiser in Vermont. Some of the money comes back. The University of Vermont recently got nearly half-a-million dollars for medical research on premature births, which will help future families who rely on the NICU.