March Of Dimes Names

Michael Cavanaugh

As 2005 Ambassador

Michael Joseph Cavanaugh has been selected to represent the March of Dimes Connecticut chapter as an ambassador during 2005.

The son of former Newtown residents Ellen and David Cavanaugh, Michael Cavanaugh was born three months premature at Yale-New Haven Hospital on June 29, 2002. He weighed only one pound, two ounces and was 11½ inches long. His hand was about the size of his father’s fingernail.

As ambassadors for the March of Dimes, Michael and his parents, who now live in Watertown, will share their story so that volunteers and sponsors will understand how participating in WalkAmerica on May 1 will help the nonprofit organization to fight premature births and its lifelong consequences.

The Cavanaugh family understands the importance of the March of Dimes mission. Ellen Cavanaugh was experiencing a healthy pregnancy when a routine blood pressure check revealed that it was dangerously high. It was discovered that her level of amniotic fluid was very low and that the baby had stopped growing.

Ellen Cavanaugh immediately underwent an emergency C-section. Michael spent 91 days in the neonatal intensive care unit at Yale-New Haven receiving specialized care for premature newborns. He is one of 1,500 premature infants cared for each year in the special care unit. The unit, which regularly accepts transfers each year from other hospitals in Connecticut, New York, and Rhode Island, was the world’s first newborn special care unit when it opened in 1960.

Premature infants, known as preemies, come into the world earlier than full-term infants. Prematurity occurs when a pregnancy lasts fewer than 37 weeks; full-term infants are born 38 to 42 weeks after they are conceived. Michael Joseph Cavanaugh was born at 26 weeks.

“There were smaller babies than Michael in the nursery when he was born. They weighed less than a pound,” Ellen Cavanaugh said. “A couple of babies didn’t survive, but some did.”

Prematurity is a silent crisis in America. Every year more than 470,000 infants are born prematurely, and prematurity is on the rise. It now affects one out of every eight babies born in the United States. Preterm delivery can happen to any pregnant woman. And in nearly half the cases, no one knows why.

Today, due in part to March of Dimes-funded advancements in the treatment of premature babies, such as newborn intensive care units and surfactant, Michael is a happy child who loves to be outside playing with his toys.

“It is crucial to do everything we can to learn about the causes and prevention of premature delivery,” Ellen Cavanaugh said. “Children are our future and are the most precious thing on this earth.”

Ellen and David Cavanaugh grew up in Newtown, graduated from Newtown High School –– she in 1988 and he in 1984 –– and lived at the corner of South Main Street and Peck’s Lane until they moved to Watertown about four years ago. David’s parents are Rosemarie Cavanaugh and the late Joseph Cavanaugh, who was deputy fire marshal in Newtown for many years. Ellen’s mother, Shirley Gavel, retired from her job as a teacher at the Children’s Adventure Center in Sandy Hook to help care for her new grandson.

The Cavanaugh family will be leading the way in WalkAmerica, the March of Dimes biggest and best-known fundraising event, at Quassy Amusement Park in Middlebury on May 1 to raise money to support research and programs to find the causes of premature birth. Registration begins at 9 am and WalkAmerica will begin at 10.

To register and for more information, call the March of Dimes at 800-446-9255 or log on to www.walkamerica.org.