Local High School Teacher Raises Funds for Children as Premature Birth Rates Rise

10 hours, 63 miles, one track. Buchholz High School Teacher, Patrick Gallagher, set out to complete this astonishing feat with a singular purpose in mind: to help babies in need. He sought to raise $2,500 to honor March of Dimes, an organization dedicated to helping families with premature children.

Buchholz High School Language Arts teacher, Patrick Gallagher, begins his 10-hour “marathon” to raise funds for premature children. Gallagher says he was inspired to run by his own prematurely-born children and those of close friends.

“I got this crazy idea that because a dime is 10 cents, that I would try and run for 10 hours straight. And then I upped the ante and decided to run 10k every hour for 10 hours to try and get 100 kilometers, 63 miles, in 10 hours,” said Gallagher.

The Language Arts instructor is no stranger to extreme distance running. Over the past several years, Gallagher has taken to ultramarathons (any distance exceeding 26.2 miles) and has previously qualified and run the Boston Marathon.

“I can’t do anything to help all those premature babies but I can run and I can run and sometimes pull off some pretty crazy stunts,” he said. “So that gets some attention, that can raise some money and by proxy, I get to help some babies.”

Help and additional funds are needed now more than ever as a report published by the Center for Disease Control Prevention and March of Dimes states that the rate of premature births in the United States has risen for the third year in a row.

Researchers and experts have yet to identify the cause of the increased rate that began in 2016. Previously, premature birth rates in America had been on a steady decline from 2007 to 2015. According to March of Dimes’ most recent Premature Birth Report Card, just under 10% of children are born prematurely.

The state of Florida received a “C” grade from the March of Dimes organization, with 10.2% of infants born preterm. Broward and Duval remain the counties with the highest rate of premature births.

Caitlin Dodd, Volunteer Director of Marketing for March of Dimes Alachua County, says her organization is doing its part to lower these percentage rates.

“The prime goal of the organization is to be able to have every mom and baby have a healthy pregnancy and birth,” said Dodd. “Within the March of Dimes, they do a lot of research because one of the things they’re not really sure of is why prematurity is so common. In the U.S. it’s one out of every 10 babies that’s born prematurely, which is very high. So they raise money for research and they also help support NICU units and hospitals.”

Due to the spiked national rate of premature births, funding for research has never been more needed. While Patrick Gallagher is doing all that he can to help meet this need, he says the struggles he faced while running are nothing compared to what families with premature children face every day.

“I just remember things that happened when my children were born and I think about my friends who had issues with premature babies and anything I go through today is going to pale in comparison to what those families have gone through,” said Gallagher.

Gallagher is joined by his friend’s daughter Claire for several laps. Claire spent 58 days in the NICU after being born several months before her due date.

One parent who understands that struggle is Debbie Ivie. The mother of twin boys, Blaze and Charlie, faced many hardships throughout pregnancy, birth, and the first few years of her sons’ lives.

“I get really emotional talking about it sometimes because it was really, I mean it was, the most difficult time of my life,” said Ivie.

At the time of birth, Charlie arrived at three pounds 12 ounces while Blaze sat at a mere one pound and 15 ounces.

“When you’re that premature there’s a greater chance for different issues to happen,” said the mother of two. “They were studied by endocrinologists, ophthalmologists, and neurologists. The boys had what was called torticollis so their heads were misshapen and they had to wear helmets at about 10 months of age.”

Charlie pictured with his mother Debbie at only a few months old, wearing a corrective helmet for his torticollis.

Debbie describes the early months of her sons’ lives as almost more stressful than her complicated pregnancy.

“There was a lot of guilt because I remember it was so exhausting and fatiguing and emotionally distressing having these babies that were so helpless in the NICU and you just, as a mom, couldn’t do anything.”

With more funding for research and preventative health measures, March of Dimes is working toward finding solutions that will help families avoid the hardships that Debbie had to endure. However, despite her sons’ uphill battles towards health, she feels that there is hope for the future.

“Now, they’re thriving and I feel so fortunate and lucky. They became very athletic and they both went on to college. So much to be thankful for,” said Ivie.

Children like Debbie’s and Patrick’s prove that, much like running, it doesn’t matter where you start as long as you finish strong.

By the end of the 10-hour stretch, the Buchholz High School teacher was able to surpass his fundraising goal and successfully run 63 miles at under a 9:30 per-mile pace.

Post-race Gallagher said he felt nothing but gratitude towards all that supported him throughout the day.

“It really just fills my heart that there are people out there that want to support such a great organization and at the same time a crazy English teacher that wants to run around a track,” said Gallagher.

Students and parents join Gallagher for his final lap during a 10-hour fundraising marathon

While Patrick’s race may be over, the Alachua County March of Dimes organization is preparing to kick off their annual “March for Babies” four-mile walk this month. The event will continue to raise money for research and resources for families with premature infants. Those interested in donating or participating in the walk can do so on Saturday, April 13th at 8:50 a.m.