Thousands Participate In Annual 'March For Babies' On North Shore

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Nearly 5,000 marchers took part Sunday morning in the March for Babies on Pittsburgh's North Shore.

It's a March of Dimes event to support moms and infants during troubled pregnancies -- moms like Alyssa Anderson, who gave birth prematurely.

"This little guy was born at 25 weeks," she said. "Without March of Dimes, I don't know that we would have made it this far. It's incredible."

Her baby, Dennis, was given a less than 50 percent chance of surviving, but he made it to the march Sunday.

"It is so great to see people here, who you took care of their babies two, three, five, even ten years ago," neonatal doctor Dr. Alan Lantzy said.

Lantzy delivered many of these premature babies. He's elated to see the results of those pregnancies.

"Who started out very small, very vulnerable and now are back here, some walking, the kids themselves, many in strollers," he said, "and it's just exciting to see them."

The National Center for Health Statistics reports that on average in Pennsylvania, one in eleven babies is born prematurely. March chairman Tom McGough says the March of Dimes hopes to change that.

"The March for Dimes spends millions of dollars a year supporting research and also supporting the families who experience premature birth," McGough said.

KDKA-TV's Jon Burnett and Kristine Sorensen were proud to serve as the emcees for the March for Babies.

To learn more about March of Dimes or donate, visit marchforbabies.org.