Jake, Josh & WalkAmerica 2006

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Dear friends,

WalkAmerica 2006 hits Dallas on Saturday, April 29, and we’re hoping you will be part of the Aron Family team.

WalkAmerica is the largest annual fundraiser for the March of Dimes, which is the organization doing the most to research and fight prematurity. Last year, the Aron Family team raised more than $4,700 – the most of any family team in Dallas and among the top 25 in Texas. In fact, we did such a good job that we are co-coordinators for this year’s walk.

We’d love for you to join Lori, Jaime, Zac, Jake & Josh on the 5-mile walk around White Rock Lake. And we’d very much appreciate a pledge supporting the work the March of Dimes is doing.

More details can be found on our team’s Web site: www.walkamerica.org/aronfamily. Donating through the site is a snap; unfortunately, registering as a walker is a bit more complicated, so just let us know if you’re interested and we’ll start building the roster.

(The ‘biz card’ attachment is a digital version of the business cards we’re passing out to promote the walk and our Web site. The footprints are ACTUAL SIZE from the day the boys were born.)

Now the fun part -- an update on our Miracle Men.

The top news item is that Jake has gone “unplugged;” in other words, he’s no longer using his feeding tube! Since stopping in mid-January, he’s developed a huge appetite in the morning and continues feasting the rest of the day.

We anticipate Josh also going tube-less in March. His timetable recently was slowed by a bout with RSV that landed him at Children’s Medical Center for five days. Both boys used to receive shots every winter to prevent them from getting this virus. They outgrew their eligibility this winter and … well, bad luck found Josh. The good news is he’s been back at full strength for more than a week, so we’ve begun weaning him.

Once Josh is done with tube feedings, the boys will have crossed the finish line on their journey from 1-pound, 2-ounce, 23-weekers to 25-pound, “normal” kids, with only a few battle scars on their bellies as lifelong reminders of their ordeal.

That either of them has gotten this far is tremendous. For both to have done so makes us truly blessed – twice blessed. We sincerely hope that our work with the March of Dimes will result in more families enjoying similar happy endings.

Love,

Lori & Jaime