On Saturday, April 29th, we got to walk in the March for Babies to support the March of Dimes. My little sister, Christina, had text me a few weeks after Brady passed away, and asked if I would want to do the walk and raise money in honor of Brady this year. I thought it was a wonderful idea, and a way that we could continue to honor Brady’s memory year after year.
Christina and I are no strangers to the March of Dimes cause. Back in our TCF days, had each been team captains for our respective branches and fundraised for them, participated in the March for Babies, and even hosted our own special event, “Beer for Babies”. Yeah, that was a beer bust to raise money for premature babies. Probably one of the more inappropriate fundraising events. We ended up raising almost $700 though, so who really cares about appropriateness at that point? We (of course) never anticipated how much more personal the cause would become just a few short years later.
Premature birth affects 380,000 babies in the United States. The March of Dimes funds research and programs to help prevent premature birth, and support families in the NICU. There is little known about pre-eclampsia and HELLP Syndrome, so there is a dire need to fund research. I only hope that we will some day know what causes it and be able to prevent it from happening to other women and their babies. My hope is that by raising money for the March of Dimes, we can prevent our heartbreaking outcome from happening to other families.
Our walk was at the Mall of America, and Jeff and I learned that it is not so much about the walking, but a whole lot more about community. We showed up early, grabbed our “Team Brady John” sign, and waited for our friends and family to show up. We had light blue “Team Brady John” shirts printed up and they turned out amazing. Simple block lettering and a beautiful photo of Brady adorned the front in navy blue. Jeff and I also received white and purple leis. The purple leis indicated parents who had a preemie, and the white leis were for parents who had lost an infant.
As our friends and family gathered, a woman came up to Jeff that I didn’t know. Turns out, she was Jeff’s uncle’s step-daughter. Her mother and Jeff’s uncle had divorced long ago, but it sounds like they’d kept in touch over the years because she had heard Brady’s story. She had come up to say “hello” and give us hugs after seeing our shirts, and putting together that Brady was the little man she’d heard about. It blew my mind that Brady’s story had traveled so far, to people who we don’t have a direct connection with.
The walk kicked off with a speech, a video, and a lifetime award presentation. They recognized two families that had raised over $50,000 over their years of doing the walk. Seeing the incredible way that they had fundraised for the cause inspired me. I hope that Jeff and I can someday be up there, proudly accepting a lifetime award in honor of sweet Brady John.
There are lots of beautiful ways to celebrate little ones who have made it, and remember the little ones we’ve lost too. One place we absolutely loved was the butterfly sculpture. There were tiny butterflies available to write the names of babies lost. I wrote “Brady John Schmitz” “Our tiny hero” on the front and signed the back “Love, mom and dad”. In the same area as the butterfly sculpture, they also had a rolling video display of photos of all the little preemies we walk for. I had submitted Brady’s photo and I was happy to see it display, knowing that Brady was touching even more hearts that day than he already had. Jeff and I shed some tears in that area, but my heart was full knowing that Brady would be proud of the way we’ve honored his memory.
As a mama of a lost baby, my one fear is that people will forget him. Forget his amazing spirit, his beautiful face, his energy, and his sweetness. Doing things like the March for Babies makes me feel that I am doing my part to make sure that no one forgets. If you want to help honor the memory of our sweet little man, the Team Brady John fundraising link is still open here. Every dollar counts. From the bottom of my heart, I thank each and every one of you that has contributed or will contribute. You are helping to ensure that Brady’s memory lives on.
