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13 years ago, I was born after only 25 weeks of pregnancy and weight 1 ½ pounds at birth.  Because I had many of the complications that come with extreme prematurity, I had to remain for 5 months in the Neonatal Intensive Unit before I was able to come home.  It was due to the exceptional loving care of the doctors, nurses, physician assistants, respiratory therapists, speech therapists, technicians, and staff at JDCH that I was able to make it to “graduation” from the NICU.  My mother would come to visit me every day and stay most of the day.  They even provided a room for my mother at the Conine Clubhouse across the street, so she could be near me.  My father would come early in the morning before going to work to check on me, then during lunch, and after work he would come again and stay for hours.  For many months after I went home, I still needed a gastric tube to be fed and oxygen to breathe, as well as speech and physical therapy to assist with my development.  Thankfully, by age two I had pretty much caught up and by age three I was able to attend regular preschool.  Currently I am in the 7th grade at Pinecrest School in Ft. Lauderdale, play on the middle school basketball and softball teams and of all things, play the trumpet in the band.  Now that I am becoming a Bat Mitzvah, I would like to help any way I can to ensure that other babies who are born early have the same opportunities and hopefully the same outcomes as I had.  And I will start by donating any gifts I receive for my Bat Mitzvah to the NICU at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital.  Thank you very much for your support!