Rick Valent can do what he wants. He’s retired.

In order to continue to provide services and educate the public on the importance of decreasing the number of premature births taking place each year, the March of Dimes hosts fundraisers aimed at getting those most affected to participate.

At the March of Dimes, we promise to work tirelessly toward the day when all babies are born healthy.

Over the past decade, there’s an alarming trend taking place that organizations like the March of Dimes are doing whatever they can to educate pregnant women about the dangers of give birth too early.

Help support March of Dimes

In Arizona, 85,000 babies were born last year and the March of Dimes helped each and every one of them through 75 years of research, vaccines and breakthroughs.

Zane Kirkendall was born three months premature, and at 13 inches long, weighed just one pound, six ounces. Described by doctors as a fighter, the infant survived for 13 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit before his underdeveloped lungs gave in.

For most parents, the birth of a new baby is a blessed day, but for some, it can quickly turn tragic, especially when the new bundle of joy comes early.

(BPT) - Like many parents, Heidi Staats had never heard of respiratory syncytial virus, commonly known as RSV, until she almost lost her son to the common, yet potentially severe disease it can cause.

(BPT) - It’s not always a good thing to be the middle. For the children of baby boomers, the middle can be a financially stressful place.

Sept. 29, 2004 - Adrianna Serbousek noticed her unborn baby was no longer moving inside her, so she went to see her doctor. He performed an emergency caesarean section, surgically removing the baby from her uterus. The child was born, eight weeks early, with blood clogging her throat.

Everyone has heard the phrase “Christmas came early this year”. For the O’Regan family, Christmas was right on time, but something else came early that day. It was Dec. 25 when Ashley O’Regan went into labor six weeks earlier than expected to give birth to the family’s newest addition, John Keegan Wes O’Regan.

(BPT) - “The size of a soda pop can,” is how Crystal and Marshall Diehl describe their daughter Audrey’s tiny, 12-ounce body, when she was born 15 weeks premature in March 2010. With the odds stacked against her, little Audrey made great strides to grow and develop during her 93-day stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Duluth, Minnesota where the Diehls lived. When Audrey’s parents were finally allowed to bring her home, they were warned that although Audrey had grown significantly and appeared healthy, preterm birth impacts the functioning of many internal organs and is associated with increased health risks.

(NewsUSA) - Most of us know that oral hygiene is critical to healthy teeth, white smiles and first impressions. But not nearly as many are familiar with the extreme consequences of what can happen if you don't take care of your mouth.

(NewsUSA) - Most of us know that oral hygiene is critical to healthy teeth, white smiles and first impressions. But not nearly as many are familiar with the extreme consequences of what can happen if you don't take care of your mouth.

If you haven’t gotten your Tetanus, Diphtheria, Acellular Pertussis (Tdap) shot, now is as critical a time to do so as ever.

I think we can all agree that life is one grand sweet song.  It’s no wonder we’d do anything to make it last.  But history tells us that many of us quit too soon. We disengage and engineer a premature old age.

(BPT) - Protecting your skin from the sun is a 365 day-a-year job. Summer is officially over, but all the sun exposure from sunny days at a beach, playing outdoor sports or soaking up the rays may have damaged your skin, forming dark brown spots that make your skin look dull and lackluster. Even sun exposure during the winter months can harm your skin. UVA rays, called the rays of aging, are everywhere and can penetrate even on cloudy days and through glass windows in your home or car. These rays are responsible for damage like wrinkles, brown spots and skin cancer. Sun damage is cumulative and begins in childhood, so protecting from the early ages – babies too - with sun protection or clothing is an important step.

I had little hope for "The Devil Inside" after reading an onslaught of verbal bashing in reviews on Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes, the latter of which has scored the film with a measly seven percent approval rating.

For those of you still thinking about smoking cessation or even considering starting smoking, here’s something to ponder: If you thought tobacco was only associated with lung cancer and heart disease, we have some bad news for you.

(NAPSI)Cancer is one of the most widespread diseases and the leading cause of death worldwide. Nearly one in 24 Americans are living with some form of cancer, so chances are you know someone with the disease.