Preston Smith becomes March of Dimes ambassador

Preston Alexander Smith just couldn't wait to start enjoying life.

He was born on Oct. 14, a full 14 weeks early. His little body weighed only 2 pounds and 2 ounces and was so sensitive that he didn't want anyone to touch him.

A week later, his parents, Byron and Angela Smith of Dyersburg, got to hold him for the first time. Two months later, they brought him home.

Today, he's a healthy squirt who has mastered the art of sitting up and is learning how to talk. While his vocabulary - mama, dada and baby - is a bit limited, he's already taken on a diplomatic job.

On Thursday, he officially became the 2004 March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation ambassador child for Dyer County. The 2003 ambassador family - Thomas Minley, Misty Warden and Chloe Warden - passed an oversized baby bottle to Preston and his mother. The action symbolized the passing of responsibility from one ambassador to another.

One of Preston's first tasks is to generate interest in WalkAmerica, which will be held Sept. 25 at Dyersburg State Community College. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and the walk starts at 9 a.m.

The MOD hopes the walk generates at least $28,000 to fight birth defects and prematurity.

Prematurity is the leading cause of newborn death and has been a growing problem for more than 20 years. The MOD reported that one in eight American babies are born prematurely, a term defined as before 37 weeks of gestation.

Angela Smith was 36 years old when she finally became pregnant, and she knew that Preston would be a high-risk baby. She followed a prescribed plan for prenatal care and regularly visited not only her regular doctor but also a specialist. She even underwent monthly ultrasounds, just to make sure the baby was OK.

During one of those monthly ultrasounds, Smith said she watched her baby's heart beat. Everything was perfect, she said.

A week and a half later, Smith began to feel contractions. The doctor discovered that her cervix had begun to dilate and that the amniotic sac had "hourglassed" out of the womb. Preston's hand was pushing through the opening of the cervix, Angela Smith told those who attended the WalkAmerica kickoff on Thursday.

"The doctors were frustrated," she said. "They took every precaution they could. They never anticipated that I'd go into preterm labor."

The doctor prescribed magnesium to slow the labor process and surfactant to jump-start Preston's tiny lungs.

Two days later, doctors decided they couldn't wait any longer. Preston was in a breach position and he was about to enter the birth canal. They performed a Caesarian section operation.

When Smith awoke that night and went to the neonatal intensive care unit to see her son, she said she was surprised as how perfectly tiny he was.

"He was nothing more than tiny bones covered in transparent skin and reminded me of a little helpless baby bird," she said.

Preston earned a reputation as "the problem baby" because he stopped breathing and had to be resuscitated several times. He was on the ventilator for one week and then used a C-pap, a device that blows oxygen to the patient. He received medicine for a heart murmur, surfactant for his lungs and caffeine to keep his heart stimulated.

The Smiths take their son for weekly assessments. Babies who receive oxygen for extended periods sometimes suffer eye damage or blindness, she explained. Fortunately, no problems have surfaced. He's "doing great," she said.

Smith thanked the community for its prayers and cards and phone calls. She thanked the March of Dimes for supporting research that led to the development of surfactant and other things that help babies survive. And, she thanked those who raise money for the March of Dimes.

"We look up to you so much and what you're doing," she told the crowd that gathered Thursday.

Anyone may participate in the MOD WalkAmerica either as an individual or as part of a team. Persons may register by contacting Diana Glozier at 287-2323 or the Memphis Division of the March of Dimes office at (901) 385-8580. Registrations also may be made online at www.walkamerica.org.

In addition to hearing Preston Smith's story, participants in the kickoff breakfast:

* Congratulated the top three walkers from the 2003 WalkAmerica. Diana Glozier of the Dyersburg Regional Medical Center team captured the top spot by raising $828. Sandy Newsom of Thomas Twilights was second with $800, and Donna Foster of First Citizens National Bank was third with $531.

* Al Guthrie, this year's honorary WalkAmerica chairman, said he sees potential in every child. And, with the MOD's help, more children are reaching toward their potential.

* Glozier, the WalkAmerica steering committee chairman, said she is in awe of the medical developments made to help premature babies. "What is takes to keep them alive is just mind-boggling," she said. "We need to educate physicians and ourselves."

Glozier said her children have almost overcome all of their setbacks. But, she noted that some children who are born prematurely, don't. Some die. Some suffer from deafness, blindness or other physical and mental ailments.

The Glozier triplets, Preston Smith and Chloe Warden, the 2003 Ambassador child, all represent success stories, she said.

* Learned that the MOD sponsored a Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) education program in Dyer County last year. The $6,000 program was coordinated through the Tennessee Department of Health.

* Learned about a $500 community-service program through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). The program will feature prenatal classes that focus on premature births.

* Found out that an award will be given this year to the team that raises the most money online.

* Received forms to reserve booth spaces during the WalkAmerica. The cost is $50. Teams may set up booths with food, drinks and give-away items.

* Received information about a number of potential fund-raisers, such has the sale of Classic Cookie cookie dough, Krispy Kreme doughnuts and "I was a NICU baby" T-shirts.

* Watched as a Classic Cookie representative presented MOD Community Director Michelle Danaher with $275, proceeds from a cookie-dough sale held this summer at Sara Lee Foods in Newbern.