Navy Anderson and her twin brother Jackson of Logan, Utah, were born 17 weeks too soon. Jackson survived only 3½ hours. Navy, who weighed just 1 pound, 6 ounces at birth, pulled through. After 116 days in four neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and many complications, she went home. Her parents, Jamie and Mike, credit her fighting spirit and March of Dimes advances in treating premature babies.

Today, Navy has no serious health problems because of her premature birth. While her family is grateful for her remarkable outcome, they continue to be reminded of the loss of Jackson. As the 2005 National Ambassador for the March of Dimes, Navy and her parents traveled the country to share their story—illustrating the serious, growing crisis of premature birth. Every year, nearly 500,000 babies are born prematurely in the United States. Through its national Prematurity Campaign, the March of Dimes is working hard to find answers to stop premature birth from happening.

If you would like to share your experience with preterm birth, visit the March of Dimes Share Your Story Web site, an online community for families who have had a premature baby or a baby in the NICU.