In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt - himself a polio victim - established the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, which quickly became known as the March of Dimes. Among other efforts, it funded research for the vaccines that effectively ended epidemic polio in the United States.
With the fight against polio virtually over, Roosevelt's personal pick as head of the organization - Basil O"Connor - announced July 22, 1958, that the March of Dimes had a new mission: prevention of birth defects. Add premature births to that, and you have the modern mission.
The McCoys" twin daughters - Ada and Siena - were delivered by emergency C-section Dec. 5, 2010, at 10:01 and 10:02 p.m. Siena - the name is taken from the Italian spelling of the city - weighed 12.7 ounces. Ada - that's a family name - weighed 1 pound 8.6 ounces.
The parents describe Ada as their rock. She progressed steadily in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit - the NICU - at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth and was discharged Feb. 27, 2010. Siena - who overcame challenge after challenge - would live seven months and six days, all in the NICU. She died July 11, 2011.
Each year March of Dimes selects a local family that has experienced the mission of the organization - to prevent premature birth, birth defects and infant mortality - as visible representatives of the effort. The McCoys are that family for 2013.
Fundraising is much different these days. The March of Dimes sponsors a March for Babies across the nation - the Fort Worth event is April 20 - and a Signature Chefs Auction in the fall. More information on the March: tinyurl.com/2013-March. Participants gather pledges and some walk in memory of the babies who did not survive.
The McCoys walked the first year at the urging of one of the nurses dealing with Siena. That year, they just paid their entrance fees because they didn't have the time to put into fundraising.
"Last year, we decided we wanted to do a family thing," Denae McCoy said. Both have extended families. "We just felt like we needed to give back." The NICU, Brian says, "is one of those places you never want to go to, but you are glad that they are there."
The McCoys kept a blog on their experiences - caringbridge.org/visit/mccoy. It is a great resource for those facing what they experienced.
