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2004 National Ambassador Amanda Reeves
Amanda Reeves of Greenville, S.C. was born 14 weeks early, and weighing just 1 lb., 7 oz. She was so tiny that her dad, Bill, could slip his wedding ring over her hand to her shoulder. Today, her mom, Michele, wears that ring as a constant reminder of the struggle that Amanda, and more than 460,000 babies born too soon each year, face just to survive.
Now, the five-year-old has been named 2004 National Ambassador for the March of Dimes and in the coming year, she will travel with her parents throughout the nation to raise public awareness of the need for Americans to come together to fight the rising tide of premature births.
“Premature birth has become the most common, serious and growing problem affecting infants in this country,” said Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, president of the March of Dimes. “We are so pleased to have a family like the Reeves, willing to travel the country to help generate awareness and raise funds to invest in research to find the causes.”
In January 2003, the March of Dimes launched a five-year, $75 million campaign to educate women to the signs and symptoms of premature birth, raise funds to conduct needed research, and reduce the rate of premature birth by 15 percent by 2007. The total national hospital bill for premature babies was estimated at $11.9 billion in 2000, according to a recent March of Dimes analysis.
During a routine checkup when she was six months pregnant, Michele was told that she was at risk of delivering prematurely due to pre-eclampsia and was immediately admitted to Greenville Hospital System Children’s Hospital. After all avenues to prevent her birth were exhausted, Amanda was born five days later on July 13, 1998. She was immediately transferred to the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), where she remained for the next 84 days as her parents watched and waited.
Almost three months later, Amanda left the NICU to a happy homecoming. “Though our story has a happy ending, there are still uncertainties about Amanda’s future,” says Michele Reeves. “Babies born prematurely often suffer terrible lifelong consequences, but we are fortunate that an organization with a track record of success like the March of Dimes has championed this cause and is working to find answers and prevent it from happening.”
The Reeves credit the March of Dimes with helping to save Amanda’s life, and they are eager to begin their service as the 2004 National Ambassador Family. “Without the March of Dimes, there is no doubt that Amanda would not be with us today,” says Bill Reeves.
Medical Overview
Amanda survived a number of complications as a result of her premature birth thanks to treatments developed in part by March of Dimes-supported research.
- Amanda was given surfactant to treat respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) because her lungs were severely underdeveloped. Surfactant is a substance the body produces to help re-inflate the lungs after each breath; premature babies are often not yet able to produce it in sufficient quantity. Treatment by giving artificial surfactant through the windpipe was developed in part with the help of the March of Dimes.
- Amanda was diagnosed with patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), a heart disorder. She was treated with drugs instead of surgery, thanks to research funded by the March of Dimes.
- Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) – Amanda was diagnosed with BPD as a consequence of RDS and/or its necessary treatments; the March of Dimes has funded recent research into its causes and how it might be prevented.
National Ambassador Program
The March of Dimes National Ambassador Program is an annual campaign that puts a face on the March of Dimes mission. Throughout the year, the National Ambassador attends events and conferences, speaks with volunteers, does media interviews and appear s with corporate leaders, celebrities and the President of the United States to raise awareness of the March of Dimes.
Nancy O’Dell, award winning co-anchor of NBC’s Access Hollywood, will serve as celebrity spokesperson for the 2004 National Ambassador Program. “I am looking forward to working with the March of Dimes and the Reeves family to help spread the word about the growing problem of premature birth and what we can do to find the causes and prevent it,” O’Dell said. “As a native South Carolinian, I am especially proud to be a part of this important program at a time when the National Ambassador is from my home state.”
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