A life touched by the March of Dimes

When Patricia Cooper of West Hempstead started volunteering for the March of Dimes — a leading nonprofit for pregnancy and baby health — little did she realize the impact it would have on her own life.

As a teenager, Cooper do her community service by participating in March of Dimes walks to raise money. But then college started and her focus shifted instead getting her nursing degree, which ultimately landed her a job as a neo natal nurse at Schneider Children’s Hospital, known today as Cohen’s Children’s Hospital at North Shore LIJ. While she was a nurse there, Cooper often utilized the resources of the March of Dimes for parents of children born premature.

Several years later in 2008, Cooper found herself pregnant. While at a doctor’s appointment in December 2009, Cooper was told that he child had not grown and did not have an adequate heart rate. She gave ultimately birth to her daughter, Cariss, when she was only 30 weeks pregnant, prompting a 32-day stay in the neo natal unit for Cariss.

“I was overwhelmed because it was my child,” said Cooper. “I knew there was a lot of information out there about this, and also knew a lot of the information wasn’t accurate. At the same time, I did know that the March of Dimes’ information would be reliable,” she added.

Cooper consulted the March of Dimes website and resources often and got support. “I utilized their support groups, and all their information on what to do when you have a child in neonatal ICU, what questions to ask physicians, how to be a support to nursing staff, and how I could best prepare for my daughter after she was discharged,” said Cooper.

Five years later, many things have changed. Cariss now has excellent health, is a kindergarten student at St. Thomas the Apostle, and has all the sass and energy of a five year old. Cooper also gave birth to another child — William — who was also born premature but not as drastically as Cariss’s 10 weeks. Still, Cooper was only 34 ½ weeks pregnant when William arrived.

And Cooper, who went back to school to get her law degree, became Mission Fund Chair of the March of Dimes’ annual Signature Chefs Auction at The Carlyle on the Green, which occurred this past Monday. As Mission Fund Chair, Cooper raises money for research and educational programs on Long Island, including the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Family Support Project at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital and at North Shore-LIJ.

As part of this past Monday’s event, Cooper shared her experience as both a neonatal nurse utilizing the resources of the March of Dimes, and her more personal story as a mother of two children born prematurely.

According to the March of Dimes, premature birth is the most serious infant health problem in the United States today, affecting more than half a million babies nationwide each year. It is the #1 cause of death in newborns and the leading cause of lasting childhood disabilities. The March of Dimes aims to reverse this trend by funding research to find the causes of premature birth and developing strategies to prevent it.

“Now my family is also involved in the March of Dimes,” said Cooper, who lives in West Hempstead with her husband William, and two children. “We’ve done every one of their walks since Cariss was born.”

The next March of Dimes walk is in April 2015 in Eisenhower Park, but for more information on March of Dimes research and volunteering opportunities prior to then, please see www.marchofdimes.org.