Walk raises $150,000 to help babies

The Lake County March for Babies recently raised $150,000 to support the March for Babies fight to save babies from premature birth and other serious threats to infant health. The walk took place April 27 at Sunset Woods Park in Highland Park.

Serving as Lake County's March for Babies Ambassador Family this year were the Vukovics. Brendan Vukovics was born four months premature. He is the surviving identical twin to his brother, Ethan, who died a day before Brendan's birth. The twins had a condition known as twin to twin transfusion syndrome, which often results in the death of one of the twins. Brendan survived but struggled sometimes during his 140 days in the Infant Special Care Unit of Evanston Hospital.

Anthony Vukovics, Brendan's father, said Brendan was discharged with no physical deficiencies resulting from his premature birth. Developmentally, Brendan continues to see speech, physical, developmental and occupational therapists each week as part of the State of Illinois Early Intervention program designed to help premature infants reach the developmental benchmarks for their chronological age.

March for Babies began in 1970 and is the March of Dimes' largest national fundraiser. To date March for Babies takes place in 1,100 communities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

There were six March for Babies sites in the Chicago area: Grant Park in Chicago; Naperville River Walk in Naperville; Pottawatomie Park in St. Charles; Sunset Woods Park; Busse Woods in Elk Grove Village; and Midlothian Meadows in Midlothian.

With Lake County's support in March for Babies, the March of Dimes conducts top-level research into causes and prevention of premature birth and birth defects. The March of Dimes also brings information and emotional support to families who have had a premature baby being treated in a neonatal intensive care unit.

For more information on March for Babies or the March of Dimes, visit www.marchofdimes.com.