Jun 5, 2013 3 min read

Chris and Joanna Tekulve of Bethel Park were excited to become parents and looking forward to starting their family. But, their daughter Taylor was born 17 weeks early, weighing just one pound, four ounces. She had problems breathing, multiple infections and had two eye surgeries to save her vision and spent her first three months fighting for life in the newborn intensive care unit (NICU).

“I can’t tell you how difficult it was, seeing our own child lying in the NICU, fighting for life. All our hopes and dreams for her hung in the balance,” Joanna said. “We felt so frightened. But thanks to the care that Taylor received, and the support of the March of Dimes for research and treatment, now we know the relief and joy parents feel when their child survives and becomes healthy enough to leave the NICU and go home.”

Finally, after spending 124 days in the NICU, Chris and Joanna were finally able to bring Taylor home. It was especially meaningful given it was Father’s Day.

Today, Taylor has grown into a healthy and active 11 year-old who loves to play soccer, ski and swim and is big sister to Lexi, 7. Taylor is also the granddaughter of former Pittsburgh Pirate pitcher, Kent Tekulve.

As the 2013 Pittsburgh ambassador, Taylor and her family walked in Pittsburgh’s March for Babies, which was held June 2. The money raised supports community programs that help moms have healthy, full term pregnancies, and funds research to find answers to the problems that threaten babies’ lives.

“Serving as the Pittsburgh Ambassador family is a way for us to show our appreciation for our children’s good health, and serve as advocates for lifesaving March of Dimes programs,” Chris said. “The March of Dimes has provided 75 years of support for research, treatments, educational and prenatal care programs that has saved lives, reduced the suffering, and improved the quality of life for countless children and the parents who love them. Our daughter is one of their success stories – a perfect example of what March of Dimes efforts have accomplished.”

Nearly half a million babies in the U.S. are born too soon each year. Babies who survive an early birth often have breathing problems, cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities, and other lifelong problems. Even babies born just a few weeks early have higher rates of hospitalization and illness than full-term infants.

“March for Babies is a great combination of doing something that’s fun and doing something that’s important,” Joanna said.