Donora family rallies around March for Babies
Alivia Teagarden weighed just 2 pounds, 7 ounces when she was born and spent 62 days in the newborn intensive care unit.
Alivia Teagarden, 5, loves music and Disney princesses. Her mother, Stephanie Hutchinson, describes her daughter as a daredevil who loves to ride four-wheelers with her dad, Kenny Teagarden.
Stephanie Hutchinson was seven months’ pregnant when she began to experience significant pain in her back. The first-time mom attributed it to standing all day. She went home and rested overnight.
The next morning, the pain was still there. She knew something was wrong.
When Hutchinson arrived at Uniontown Hospital, she was shocked to learn that she was in labor, already 9 1/2 centimeters dilated. That day, Alivia Marie Teagarden was born at 28 weeks’ gestation. She weighed just 2 pounds, 7 ounces.
Alivia spent the next 62 days in a newborn intensive care unit. While Alivia suffered physically, Hutchinson and Alivia’s father, Kenny Teagarden, suffered emotionally. Because their daughter was born premature, her lungs were not fully developed. She struggled to breathe, suck and swallow.
To prevent her lungs from collapsing and abnormal mental development, Alivia was given surfactant and nitric oxide, treatments funded by March of Dimes. Although she developed cerebral palsy, a broad term for a disorder that impairs movement, Alivia began to thrive and was finally able to come home.
Now 5 years old, Alivia is a witty and intelligent child who loves music and Disney princesses. She attends school and receives both physical and occupational therapy. Although she uses a wheelchair, her mom describes her as a daredevil who loves to go fast and ride four-wheelers with her dad.
Hutchinson and Teagarden, who reside in Donora, know that without the research funded by March of Dimes, Alivia’s chance of survival would have been severely decreased.
That’s why Hutchinson decided to get involved with March of Dimes by sharing the family’s story to raise awareness about premature births. She said she’s excited to give back to the foundation, which helps expectant parents have full-term pregnancies through research and education.
“Without everything March of Dimes did, we wouldn’t have been able to bring Alivia home,” Hutchinson said.
Alivia and her family are this year’s Washington ambassador family and will lead the Washington March for Babies at 11 a.m. May 3 at North Strabane Township Park. The event, March of Dimes’ signature fundraiser, was founded in 1970 and has raised $2.3 billion.
At last year’s event, 60 of Alivia’s friends and family walked to raise $800. This year, Hutchinson is expecting their group to grow to about 100.
“It’s really great to get to meet other people and see all the kids,” she said. “It’s such a good cause.”
Babies born prematurely are more likely to develop infections, bleeding in the brain and respiratory distress. They also are more likely to die or have lifelong disabilities. In the United States, 1 in 9 babies is born prematurely, which is higher than most developed nations.
The three-mile walk will include food, games and crafts for kids. The money raised supports community programs and funds research to diminish the rate of premature birth.
For more information, visit www.marchofdimes.com or www.marchforbabies.org.