| Show March of Dimes Support Urged by ly Mother Who Lost Birth Defects Baby in 49 Days Nott No Mary Mery Strout young I Ohio mother mob I. I in he het b own wore words fh the b. oge glory oy of 0 who what happen In tn a a family when a II MIJ t t. t torn Liars wi with a II serious ou birth rId defect By Dy MARY MAHY Our baby Laura was born on Mothers Mother's Day seven years ago lost We-lost V We lost L Laura ur seven weeks later tater on Fathers Father's Day She gave a soft little sigh as she died in my arms My husband hus hus- n It band and I buried burled her with the rattle to which she had clung I II I tightly during her brief life But Laura who died of the tho terrible birth defects detects known as asI I open spine and too much fluid on the brain still lives in Jn the hearts of her father Don and myself When asked by strangers stran stran- gers we always say ay wo we have three daughters instead of really only two and I want to explain why We feel that each ch of us in ini including in- in i eluding our tiny Laura isu is brought into the world to u. u serve a even eyen if our stay on oni i i earth is as tragically short as 49 days For years years we were numbed by our baby's passing But to today today today to- to day we recognize that in being SKea bv oy DY y The me Nh National s o n n l foun Foun- Foun ou oun- oun n Foun- Foun SKea bv oy DY y The me Nh National s o n n l foun Foun- Foun ou oun- oun n Foun- Foun foundation Foundation dation to renew our memories of those despairing seven weeks my husband and I l' are somehow fulfilling the purpose of Lauras Laura's fleeting visit with us That purpose is isto to repeat as forcefully as we can the lessons lessons lessons les les- sons we have nave learned 1 I. I Scientists insi insist t that parents parents parents par par- should not be ashamed over the birth of an infant with witha a congenital malformation in instead instead instead in- in stead face the situation bravely and seek professional advice Feelings of guilt arent aren't Justi fled fied 2 2 There is no medical evidence evidence evi evi- dence that birth defects defects' are always hereditary and 3 There is no evidence that because a couple have had one defective baby they are likely to have another Doctors at Columbus Ohio near our farm at Laurelville said our chances of having another malformed baby were something like one in Donna Marguerite I p e Sj t e t A t x h ht yep t t t tL tt u t L A f 1 JJ Fj f Mary Vilt f r. r 4 1 A Mary So Strout s of Ohio and daughters daught rs Julie Ann two and Donna Marguerite five study tudy photos of youngest child Laura who died of birth defects at seven weeks five ive years old and Julie JulieAnn Ann nn two wo who followed Laura after Don on and I had reflected deeply and md sought advIce could not note be e healthier or more normal But by no means have Don Donand Donand and nd I forgotten our hopelessness hopeless- hopeless and indeed self-loath- self ness less our ing ng during those 49 40 days and nights lights when we took turns holding Laura in our arms or sat at hour after hour beside her her bassinet watching life drain from rom her eyes We detested ourselves because because be- be cause ause of torments that something some- some thing thin hing was wrong with us physically or that a shameful defect elect had been inherited from our ur forebears later proved untrue and that we were thus hus responsible for this cru cruelty to o an innocent baby Never will w we forget the frantic drive while our baby was dying to our church so that hat she mi might ht be baptized before be- be I be-I I fore ore she left us In some way our congregation had learned of It the he reason for our headlong visit and the tears tears' of those sorrowing folks flowed with our ours Our Laura faUra was one of babies babies' born each year in our country with significant birth defects that tragic total is growing with our increasing population Our baby was one of who in addition die annually from congenital congeni congeni- tal malformations and that awful figure is Js also mounting At last something constructive constructive constructive tive is bei being done about birth defects With With March of Dimes contributions The National Foundation is directing a broad study of this devastating puzzle puzzle just as it ought fought polio pollo and andin andin andin in time found the Salk vaccine to prevent it With a donation in Janu January TY from each of us in time there will be many fewer Lauras in our land |
