March of Dimes-Mansfield serves as Ambassador Child

        Like most two-year-olds, Kenzleigh Mansfield loves music, enjoys playing outside, and spending time with her family.  It's hard to imagine that the healthy little girl was born weighing only two pounds and six ounces or that she spent more than two months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Central Baptist Hospital before she could come home with her  parents Kaitlyn Clark and Casey Mansfield.
        She is here today and healthy because of the research funded through March of Dimes, and her family is hoping that their involvement in the local campaign will give back to the cause. Kenzleigh is serving as the 2017 Ambassador Child for the March of Dimes Color Fun Run/Walk which is set for Saturday, September 16 at South Kentucky RECC.
        "I never knew anything about March of Dimes before this," said Kaitlyn, as she talked about their involvement in the walk. "I wish I would have known about it before."
        She hopes that by being involved this year, more people will learn about Kenzleigh's story. She shared the family's experiences at a local motorcycle run in August that benefited March of Dimes, and she will be at the walk to share it once again.
        Kenzleigh was born 12 weeks premature on February 2, 2015. Kaitlyn said her pregnancy had gone very well. Nearly a week before Kenzleigh was born, she had a checkup and all was well. By the end of that week, her face had started to swell and her mother decided to check her blood pressure. It was extremely high, and Kaitlyn was immediately admitted to the hospital in Somerset. It was Friday.
        By Saturday, she had been taken to Central Baptist Hospital and was receiving medication to help her and the baby be ready for the early delivery. Kaitlyn received steroids that helped to strengthen her small baby's lungs before she was born.
        On Monday, Kenzleigh was born. She was only 15 inches long and there were many concerns for her, as there are for all premature babies. Teams of doctors took over her care in the NICU.
        Kaitlyn recalled how hard it was in those first days to watch her daughter struggle.
        "It's like you are helpless...You want to do something but there is nothing that you can do," she said.
        Kaitlyn stayed at the nearby Ronald McDonald House, as her daughter spent the next 63 days in the NICU. She recalled the blizzard that dumped 17 inches of snow on Kentucky occurred while she was staying in Lexington. She was so concerned about her daughter that she threatened to walk to the hospital to see her, but her grandmother, who stayed with Kaitlyn, discouraged her from that. Kaitlyn said that later in the day it cleared enough that they got a taxi to take them to the hospital.
        Kenzleigh weighed four pounds and 10 ounces when she came home. She had eaten and grown well while in the hospital. Kaitlyn said that the doctors and nurses at the hospital treated them all like family.
        "The nurses treated me like I was their daughter or their granddaughter...All of them were amazing," she said.
        That is why, when Kenzleigh goes back to Lexington for her annual checkup, they always stop by the hospital to visit their friends. And Kaitlyn said they go by Ronald McDonald House as well, since they were like her family for so many weeks.
        "She is doing well," Kaitlyn said. "She is right where she is supposed to be."
        Getting involved in March of Dimes was a given for the family after their experience. They were walking at last year's event when Kaitlyn was approached about Kenzleigh serving as the Ambassador Child this year. They were happy for the opportunity.
        "We want to make a difference for other babies, so we want to stay involved," said Kaitlyn.
        She encouraged others to get out and walk and support March of Dimes.
        "Come and see what it is all about," she said.
        Registration for the walk will begin at 10 a.m. on September 16. It is set to start at 11 a.m. For more information you can visit the Wayne County March of Dimes Facebook page or call (606) 416-7328.