March for Babies

Stony Brook Children's knows how important walking is for good health. But what if you could also improve the health of others by walking? 

Well, grab your sneakers, put on your sunscreen and get moving because this spring, the March for Babies is doing exactly that. This three-mile walk is giving families, corporate teams, health professionals and committed community members an opportunity to raise money and awareness to prevent birth defects, premature births and infant mortality.

This is the first time that Stony Brook Children's has partnered with the March of Dimes to host this iconic walk in which more than 900 communities across the United States participate annually. It promises to be a day of family fun, emotional connection, community action and good health—with Stony Brook Children's offering screenings, health education, healthy food and more.

It also is an opportunity for families who have had babies in Stony Brook's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to reunite with other families and caregivers, and show their appreciation for the work the March of Dimes does on behalf of patients and families.

This year, two Stony Brook families are being recognized. Jenny Tranfalgia, who lost her daughter Amanda  27 years ago to prematurity, has been chosen as the Suffolk County 2011 March for Babies Honoree. During their bereavement process, Jenny and her husband Joe started the Little Angel Fund to help other families touched by prematurity. In addition, Stony Brook Children's has designated the Niemann Family of Smithtown as the official Ambassador Family. Natalie and Kirk Niemann's second daughter, Lila, was born eight weeks premature and spent four months in the NICU. Today, Lila is healthy and vibrant, and her family is thrilled to walk in support of programs that saved her life.

Stony Brook Children's and the event co-chairs Margaret McGovern, MD, PhD, Physician-in-Chief of Stony Brook Children's and Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics, and Gerald Quirk, MD, PhD, Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Medicine, invite you to join thousands of your fellow community members in showing their support for such an important cause, celebrating spring and changing the health of children now and in the future, one step at a time.