Posted in PPROM and Infant Loss Awareness

This year our family and friends will once again be participating in the March of Dimes WalkAmerica fundraiser.  This is the annual “big” fundraiser for March of Dimes.  Our walk will be in Columbus on April 30.  Below is the letter we have sent, or will be sending, to family and friends.  We hope to raise $3000 to help research of prematurity issues and the families of premature babies.  If any of my online friends would like to contribute to a very, very worthy cause, I’d love it if you would make a donation to help sponsor me as I walk the 3 ½ mile walk in memory and in honor of my granddaughter Ellora.  You can make a donation by going to my March of Dimes site at http://www.walkamerica.org/ellorasgranny

Here is the letter that we sent:

March 10, 2006

Dear Family, Friends, and Clients of Pawsitively Purrfect Pet Salon,

This day last year was a joyous time for us, because our miracle baby, Ellora Faye, was born on at 11:02 A.M., after she and Michelle had spent 57 days on bedrest. She was incredibly strong and healthy, breathing on her own from the start. How we loved our beautiful little miracle girl! We spent ten wonderful days with Ellora before she contracted a serious infection that took us from us on March 20, at only 10 days of age.

Although Ellora was perfect, and so very strong and healthy, she still was a micro-preemie. At 29 weeks gestational age, although she did exceptionally well, her immune system was still not strong at this age. She was born too early and too soon for her body to fight the bacterial infection that took her from us so very suddenly.

This year, to honor Ellora’s memory, we are once again participating in the March of Dimes WalkAmerica on April 30, at The Sports Barn in Columbus . This annual fund-raising drive is to provide research funds to help save the lives of premature babies like Ellora, or to prevent premature births to start with, and also to help the families while their preemies are in NICU care.

We invite you, our family, friends, and clients, to be a part of Ellora’s Team with us. There are several ways you can do this:

1. You can make a donation to the March of Dimes in Ellora’s memory. Do do so, simply write a check to the March of Dimes and give it to Michelle and Josh, Kathy, or drop it off at Pawsitively Purrfect. If you prefer to donate by credit card, go to Ellora’s Team’s website at http:www.walkamerica.org/ellorasgranny You can read more of Ellora’s story there, and at the bottom of the site is a link to her grandma’s blog site, where you can read even more and see pictures.  Be sure to check to see if your place of work matches gifts to March of Dimes, as many places in our area do this, and it will double your own gift. Your gift is tax deductible. 

2. You can walk with us to honor Ellora’s life and to help us keep her memory and legacy alive! It will be fun to have you with us lending us moral support. We will be ordering T-Shirts for Ellora’s Team to wear in the walk. Please let us know what size you need by March 30, and we will let you know the cost, which will be minimal. Some teams last year had 20-30 members and more, so we would love to have as many of you participate as possible.

3. You can be a sponsor for Ellora’s Team, and help us raise money for the March of Dimes. If you would like to help in this way, let us know as soon as you can, and we will provide you with sponsor sheets, coin cards and boxes, and even a personal website where people can make pledges for Ellora’s Team online! If you will also be participating in the walk, please let us know your t-shirt size by March 30.

Thank you so very much for considering helping us honor Ellora’s memory, and to help March of Dimes be able to help other families to not have to face the things we have had to face this past year. We want to do all we can to help PPROM research and other prematurity issues, and to make sure that other families of preemies are able to take their babies home with them.

For anyone who is interested, we will also be selling prematurity awareness bracelets for a donation of $2 or more. Just contact us if you would like one :-)

Since we are working from several email lists that we used last year at this time, please forgive us if you happen to receive this email more than once.  Next year we will hopefully have time to compare lists and avoid duplications. 

Thank you for being there for us last year at this time.  We don't know how we could have gotten through everything without each one of you.  And thank you for considering helping us reach our goal of raising $3000 toward helping the families of other premature babies, in memory of Ellora.   

Josh and Michelle Stoneburner, and Kathy Kin

Happy Birthday, Ellora!  We love you and miss you so very much. 

Sweet baby, Heaven's Child you will always be,
Yet ours forever---our most precious memory...