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We play this tournament every year for the babies, hoping to raise funds for research and for hope for their families. We will be there again this year! We hope you will too.
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Our 2024 spotlight babies are Regan and Theo.
They also have compelling stories to share with us all. Here is Regan's.
They also have compelling stories to share with us all. Here is Regan's.
Regan's story: Every one, I assume, has heard of a “preemie baby.” Not everyone, including ourselves at the time, knew there was such thing as a “micro-preemie.” Micro-preemies are either born before 26 weeks and/or weigh less than a little under 2 pounds. Regan was born unexpectedly on September 13, 2023 at 29 weeks weighing one pound eight ounces. (Since it’s hard to comprehend, that is a little more than the weight of a can of soup.)
“Rey,” as we call her, could not eat, breathe, or poop on her own. She did not look like a baby, she did not act like a baby, and it took a while for Kevin and me to feel like true parents. Rey spent 97 days in the NICU, hooked up to all kinds of monitors and equipment. Four months after her discharge, she weighed just enough (~5 lbs) to undergo complex open heart surgery on May 1 to correct what would have been a 100% fatal heart condition.
By mid-June, Rey went to her first Red Sox game, lounged in her grandparents' pool, and was chugging full bottles. We could not have done it without the critical care and unending support of the doctors, nurses, and health professionals at Brigham & Women’s and Boston Children’s.
Rey’s voyage is not yet over. She could very well experience some additional challenges down the road. But, for now, she is thriving and continues her fight every day. Organizations like the March of Dimes are CRUCIAL to the development and wellbeing of premature infants AND their families. We will be forever grateful for the support we received throughout our journey.
“Rey,” as we call her, could not eat, breathe, or poop on her own. She did not look like a baby, she did not act like a baby, and it took a while for Kevin and me to feel like true parents. Rey spent 97 days in the NICU, hooked up to all kinds of monitors and equipment. Four months after her discharge, she weighed just enough (~5 lbs) to undergo complex open heart surgery on May 1 to correct what would have been a 100% fatal heart condition.
By mid-June, Rey went to her first Red Sox game, lounged in her grandparents' pool, and was chugging full bottles. We could not have done it without the critical care and unending support of the doctors, nurses, and health professionals at Brigham & Women’s and Boston Children’s.
Rey’s voyage is not yet over. She could very well experience some additional challenges down the road. But, for now, she is thriving and continues her fight every day. Organizations like the March of Dimes are CRUCIAL to the development and wellbeing of premature infants AND their families. We will be forever grateful for the support we received throughout our journey.
This is Theo's story.
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Theo's story: The due date for Baby wasn’t for another six weeks, names hadn’t been discussed, and
the nursery was certainly not yet ready. But, hours away from home, at the start of our annual family beach vacation in Rhode Island, we would soon welcome our Baby Boy Theo into the world!
Ally arrived at South County Hospital around 8 PM, then was transferred up to Women & Infants in Providence around 10 PM. At first, we weren’t sure if this was all just a scare (and maybe we’d be going home at some point), but by mid-morning we were meeting with a team from the NICU to understand their procedures. Then, at 1:03 PM on August 14, 2022, 4 lb 13 oz Theodore was born! Many describe the day their first child is born as a rush, a whirlwind, a blur. This was no different, filled with all manner of emotions—excitement and fear, concern then delight, confusion but hope.
Though Theo would end up staying in the NICU for two weeks, he required supplemental oxygen for only a few days and was able to ween off his feeding tube relatively quickly, too. Through it all, Patrick and Ally were able to stay right across the street, thanks to the Ronald McDonald House, and so were fortunate enough to spend nearly every moment by Theo’s side. He was quickly categorized as a “feeder-grower” (positive label in NICU world), and soon we were discharged and headed home as a family of three. Fast forward to now, Theo is almost two—happy and healthy—and oh so delighted to be a big brother to Baby Carter.
We are forever grateful to the amazing doctors, nurses, and specialists at Women & Infants who were phenomenal in every way imaginable—constantly putting Theo in a position to thrive, and relieving Mom and Dad’s stress on a daily basis with words of encouragement and patient explanations of whatever the day’s procedure, test, or development meant (not to mention the dozens of questions we were asking). We are also grateful to the decades-long work of March of Dimes—funding, coordinating, and completing behind-the-scenes research, development, and training—that laid the very foundation for Theo’s amazing care and allowed our stay in the NICU to be so short and uneventful. Finally, we are grateful for Play It Forward, as the funds raised each year by this Tournament are so important for the vital work being done by the March of Dimes. Thank you!
the nursery was certainly not yet ready. But, hours away from home, at the start of our annual family beach vacation in Rhode Island, we would soon welcome our Baby Boy Theo into the world!
Ally arrived at South County Hospital around 8 PM, then was transferred up to Women & Infants in Providence around 10 PM. At first, we weren’t sure if this was all just a scare (and maybe we’d be going home at some point), but by mid-morning we were meeting with a team from the NICU to understand their procedures. Then, at 1:03 PM on August 14, 2022, 4 lb 13 oz Theodore was born! Many describe the day their first child is born as a rush, a whirlwind, a blur. This was no different, filled with all manner of emotions—excitement and fear, concern then delight, confusion but hope.
Though Theo would end up staying in the NICU for two weeks, he required supplemental oxygen for only a few days and was able to ween off his feeding tube relatively quickly, too. Through it all, Patrick and Ally were able to stay right across the street, thanks to the Ronald McDonald House, and so were fortunate enough to spend nearly every moment by Theo’s side. He was quickly categorized as a “feeder-grower” (positive label in NICU world), and soon we were discharged and headed home as a family of three. Fast forward to now, Theo is almost two—happy and healthy—and oh so delighted to be a big brother to Baby Carter.
We are forever grateful to the amazing doctors, nurses, and specialists at Women & Infants who were phenomenal in every way imaginable—constantly putting Theo in a position to thrive, and relieving Mom and Dad’s stress on a daily basis with words of encouragement and patient explanations of whatever the day’s procedure, test, or development meant (not to mention the dozens of questions we were asking). We are also grateful to the decades-long work of March of Dimes—funding, coordinating, and completing behind-the-scenes research, development, and training—that laid the very foundation for Theo’s amazing care and allowed our stay in the NICU to be so short and uneventful. Finally, we are grateful for Play It Forward, as the funds raised each year by this Tournament are so important for the vital work being done by the March of Dimes. Thank you!
Sponsor and Auction Donor Opportunities
Please sponsor or donate now!
We thank you and appreciate your support.
We hope that you will consider helping us find answers by becoming a sponsor or a donor of auction items for the 13th annual March of Dimes Play It Forward Golf Tournament. Please help us fund the fight. Sponsor and donor forms are available by clicking on the buttons below.
Sponsor and Auction Donor Opportunities
Please sponsor or donate now!
We thank you and appreciate your support.
We hope that you will consider helping us find answers by becoming a sponsor or a donor of auction items for the 13th annual March of Dimes Play It Forward Golf Tournament. Please help us fund the fight. Sponsor and donor forms are available by clicking on the buttons below.