Loss and Life: March of Dimes’ New Meaning for One Employee

Ari Hamed was born at 26 weeks and weighed just over 2 pounds

“I never thought it would happen to me.”

That’s what Jackie Hamed thought after she started donating to March of Dimes when one of her good friends had a premature baby a couple years ago.

“It seemed like a really good cause,” said the operations research analyst for the Health and Human Services Agency. “I had seen it being promoted at work before and then my friend started walking for it. So I’ve been donating for the past two years or so.”

But Hamed never knew how valuable the research done by March of Dimes really is until she found out she was expecting identical twin boys last March. What started off as morning sickness turned out to be something much more serious. The mom-to-be was diagnosed with hyperemesis – she couldn’t keep anything down and, as a result, was admitted to the ER for dehydration.

After several examinations, doctors found Hamed’s unborn baby boys – Ezra and Ari – had selective intrauterine growth restriction, which results in one twin not growing at the same rate as the other.

At just 20 weeks pregnant, Hamed underwent an emergency procedure to try to save the boys.

“It was really scary – they’re essentially puncturing the womb,” she said. “If the water broke during the surgery, we would lose both babies.”

Unfortunately, Ezra did not survive the emergency surgery. In order to make sure Ari stayed safe and healthy, Hamed’s activity was restricted, never walking or standing for more than 10 minutes at a time. Doctors told her if she could make it to 24 weeks with Ari, he’d have a good chance of survival.

At 26 weeks, after going into pre-term labor, Hamed’s surviving son Ari was delivered via C-section. He was born on Aug. 5, 2014 at just over 2 pounds.

“They said he was big for [26 weeks], believe it or not!” Hamed said. “But he couldn’t breathe on his own and had to be intubated. He suffered a ruptured lung a week after birth and was born with a hole in his heart.”

Ari Hamed at 6 months old.Ari was given medication that resolved his heart issue. But the preemie spent 83 days in the NICU and didn’t come home to be with mom and dad until Oct. 27. He was kept on oxygen until January, but Hamed said Ari is doing much better and getting stronger every day.

“I see him and I just think ‘he’s here! We could’ve lost him and Ezra – it could be worse.”

Hamed has a personal goal this year to raise $350 for the March of Dimes (with the County’s total goal set at $100,000) and will be participating in the March for Babies in Balboa Park on Saturday, April 25. She says she encourages her colleagues to donate to the non-profit whose research and mission helps give babies a healthy start.

“The research they do saves lives – it saved my baby’s life. People don’t think about it until it happens to them or someone they know,” Hamed said.

“The March for Babies makes a real difference for the thousands of local families, like Jackie’s, who face the challenge of premature births each year,” said Nick Macchione, HHSA director and this year’s chair for the fundraising walks in the San Diego region. “Strong support from County employees will help babies get off to a good start in life, which fits the goals of our Live Well San Diego vision of a region that is building better health, living safely and thriving.” 

The first of two walks is April 11 in Oceanside. Learn more about how you can participate in the County’s March for Babies and how to donate to the March of Dimes.

Below is a video Jackie and her husband made about their story.