When you see 4-year-old Jordyn Sanders out riding her bike, it’s hard to realize how tenuous her start in life was. Jordyn originally had a twin sister. The two girls were born at 27 weeks to parents Kim and Realis Sanders. Their prematurity (they weighed just 1 lb. 14 oz.) meant a two-month stay in the hospital, where they were hooked up to ventilators and fed intervinously.”Everyone I knew had healthy babies,” notes Kim. “That was the first time I had ever seen a preemie.” She was so tiny, Kim says, that her husband’s hand was longer than she was.

Jordyn’s twin lived just nine days. But Jordyn steadily thrived. And as she grew, Kim discovered the March of Dimes, an organization that reaches out to families whose children are born prematurely. They were a life-saver for the couple, putting them in touch with other families who had walked this path before. “It helps because you hear other success stories, so you come away with some hope that this can come out alright,” says Kim, who is the assistant principal at Crosswinds Elementary School and two years ago served as the Ambassador family for the March of Dimes.

This Saturday brings together a host of families like the Sanders, as they participate in the March for Babies. The 4-mile walk takes place at Shelby Farms at 9 a.m. with activities throughout the day. If you want to support a family, go to marchforbabies.org and select Jordyn’s team. The money they raise goes towards understanding preterm births. Hope to see you there.

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