March for Babies

There are two days a year when we ask our family and friends to join together to celebrate, remember and honor the life of the little boy we miss so much.  Considering that Matthew will never have the opportunity to invite family and friends to t-ball games, or school plays, open houses, karate tournaments or anything else he may have been into, 6 hours out of the year doesn't seem like a whole lot.  One of those days falls on a Saturday every April, March for Babies.  The other is his birthday.

March for Babies is an event that is so dear to our family.  Had we of been in the same situation with our pregnancy 20 years ago, we never would have had the opportunity to hear Matthew cry, feed him, hug him, bring him home and properly welcome into our family.  Knowing that Matthew can never enjoy the excitement of ripping open birthday presents, or the joy of seeing toys wrapped in Christmas paper, or experience the fun of an Easter basket, it seems that this is a way that we can give to him.  This is a way that we can not only remember him, but that we can also use to try and raise awareness and funds for research to prevent any other family from suffering the same tragedy that we had to.  It's our attempt at keeping our son's death from being in vain.

This year, Kaitlyn fully understood what the March meant.  Why we do it, what the money is for, and how much those that came loved her brother.  As we went to visit friends that came all the way up from Southern CA for the walk, you could see Kaitlyn beaming with pride as she said "wow, they really love Matthew, don't they." And in her mind, you could see how that relates to her.

I would like to extend my deepest thanks to all of those who joined us this year.  Thank you to those who worked so hard to make a difference.  Thank you to those that gave a few hours out of your busy Saturday and your busy lives to honor our son.  I have no doubt that he was watching from above so incredibly proud to have so many love and honor him.

Thank you to our beautiful team.  You all did so amazing and this year we raised $7,931.  That is going to go really far in saving and improving lives in our area.  I am forever grateful.

Our 2010 Team

Photo Missing: Jamie, Joel, Carmen, Sarah, Kayla, Dylan