March of Dimes hosts 55th annual March for Babies on the North Shore
March of Dimes hosts 55th annual March for Babies on the North Shore
March of Dimes hosts 55th annual March for Babies on the North Shore
It's the country's oldest charitable walk, and on Sunday, it continued for another year in Pittsburgh.
The March of Dimes held its 55th annual March for Babies on the North Shore on Sunday morning. This event helps support families facing maternal and infant health problems.
Within the crowds are stories turned into action.
"I had a really high-risk pregnancy, and my son passed away a couple of days after he was born," Kathy Kitterman, who received the 2025 John Bricker Award, said.
Kitterman sought to keep her son's memory alive, just like many hope to do with their children.
"My husband and I were like, 'We've gotta do something to bring some purpose and meaning to his life,'" she said.
She's given a lot of effort. Ketterman has helped raise about $130,000 for the March of Dimes.
On Sunday, she was showered with praise.
"I'm very proud that we've been able to contribute what we have over the last 19 years," she said.
Hanah Goodman is part of this year's ambassador family. She remains invested.
"It has really helped me heal personally," she said.
Her son, Avitt, was born prematurely at 35 weeks.
He spent some time in the NICU, about two weeks there for underdeveloped lungs," Goodman said.
It's why she and these thousands keep coming back. They're trying to raise $1 million.
"This money goes into research and education events," Jim Burgess, SVP of operations at Highmark Wholecare, said. "It goes into funding milk banks, food pantries, and diaper banks."
One in 10 babies in our country is born prematurely, according to the March of Dimes.
The organization says a woman dies every 12 hours from pregnancy and childbirth complications.
"You also have a lot of emotions about maybe not doing what you thought you could, like guilt," Goodman said.
She and others said a support network from this organization made them feel less lonely.
"It helped my family tremendously through fellowship in just coming together during our healing," Tina Morascyzk, market board of directors chair for March of Dimes of Western and Central Pa., said.
The participants hope that with every step, they can help give babies and moms the best start possible.
"We're optimistic that the funding we're doing there [and] the walk that we're doing here, the money that we bring forward will help us surpass where we were back before COVID," Jim Burgess, SVP of operations at Highmark Wholecare, said.
For Kitterman and others, it's the driving force.
"No matter how short someone's life is, it still has an impact, and it can still bring meaning to the world," she said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Five 'high-priority' pathogens discovered entering Australia via airplane toilets
Five high-priority pathogens and superbugs have entered Australia on international flights, an investigation of wastewater in airplane toilets has revealed. The new research, led by the national science agency, CSIRO, confirms that air travel is a key pathway for antimicrobial-resistant bacteria to enter the country. Working with an international team of university scientists, the researchers found superbugs in every one of the 44 samples. Close to a third tested positive for a gene with resistance to last resort antibiotics that had not previously been found in Australia. Dr Warish Ahmed, a principal research scientist at CSIRO, said the research indicates testing aircraft wastewater could be a significant tool for detecting the spread of new diseases. He said the data collected could be particularly important for protecting vulnerable communities. 'The samples could be delivered to labs, and we could simply run PCR tests, looking for antibiotic-resistant genes and bacteria and offer the results in a couple of days,' he told Yahoo News Australia. 'But it would need the collaboration with airlines, university research institutions and public health units to make it happen.' Related: Alarm raised after strange backyard phenomenon worsens in Aussie region Region with highest concentration of resistant microbes Eighteen of the samples taken from flights originating in South Asia had a higher concentration of antibiotic-resistant genes than those from Europe. In many parts of the continent, antibiotics can be purchased over the counter without a prescription, allowing resistance to quickly grow. Other contributors to the variation between parts of Asia and Europe could be water and sanitation, population density, and public health policies, according to lead author Dr Yawen Liu, a visiting scientist at CSIRO from China's Xiamen University. 'By monitoring aircraft wastewater, we can potentially detect and track antibiotic resistance genes before they become established in local environments,' Liu added. 🥣 Disturbing problem caused by placing five common items in dishwasher ☠️ Calls to ban 4,200 chemicals 'of concern' found in common products 😳 Beach walker stumbles up new Australian ocean predator The study began during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the group's testing of aircraft wastewater has now concluded. They found pathogens were present in wastewater despite the use of strong disinfectants in treatment systems. The study was a collaboration between CSIRO, Xiamen University, the University of South Australia and Michigan Technological University. It was published in the journal Microbiology Spectrum. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
White House AI czar David Sacks says 'AI psychosis' is similar to the 'moral panic' of social media's early days
The White House AI advisor discussed "AI psychosis" on a recent podcast. David Sacks said he doubted the validity of the concept. He compared it to the "moral panic" that surrounded earlier tech leaps, like social media. AI can create a diet plan, organize a calendar, and provide answers to an endless variety of burning questions. Can it also cause a psychiatric breakdown? David Sacks, the White House official spearheading America's AI policies, doesn't think so. President Donald Trump's AI and crypto czar discussed "AI psychosis" during an episode of the "All-In Podcast" published Friday. While most people engage with chatbots without a problem, a small number of users say the bots have encouraged delusions and other concerning behavior. For some, ChatGPT serves as an alternative to professional therapists. A psychiatrist earlier told Business Insider that some of his patients exhibiting what's been described as "AI psychosis," a nonclinical term, used the technology before experiencing mental health issues, "but they turned to it in the wrong place at the wrong time, and it supercharged some of their vulnerabilities." During the podcast, Sacks doubted the whole concept of "AI psychosis." "I mean, what are we talking about here? People doing too much research?" he asked. "This feels like the moral panic that was created over social media, but updated for AI." Sacks then referred to a recent article featuring a psychiatrist, who said they didn't believe using a chatbot inherently induced "AI psychosis" if there aren't other risk factors — including social and genetic — involved. "In other words, this is just a manifestation or outlet for pre-existing problems," Sacks said. "I think it's fair to say we're in the midst of a mental health crisis in this country." Sacks attributed the crisis instead to the COVID-19 pandemic and related lockdowns. "That's what seems to have triggered a lot of these mental health declines," he said. After several reports of users suffering mental breaks while using ChatGPT, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman addressed the issue on X after the company rolled out the highly anticipated GPT-5. "People have used technology, including AI, in self-destructive ways; if a user is in a mentally fragile state and prone to delusion, we do not want the AI to reinforce that," Altman wrote. "Most users can keep a clear line between reality and fiction or role-play, but a small percentage cannot." Earlier this month, OpenAI introduced safeguards in ChatGPT, including a prompt encouraging users to take breaks after long conversations with the chatbot. The update will also change how the chatbot responds to users asking about personal challenges. Read the original article on Business Insider Solve the daily Crossword
Business Insider
5 hours ago
- Business Insider
White House AI czar David Sacks says 'AI psychosis' is similar to the 'moral panic' of social media's early days
AI can create a diet plan, organize a calendar, and provide answers to an endless variety of burning questions. Can it also cause a psychiatric breakdown? David Sacks, the White House official spearheading America's AI policies, doesn't think so. President Donald Trump's AI and crypto czar discussed " AI psychosis" during an episode of the "All-In Podcast" published Friday. While most people engage with chatbots without a problem, a small number of users say the bots have encouraged delusions and other concerning behavior. For some, ChatGPT serves as an alternative to professional therapists. A psychiatrist earlier told Business Insider that some of his patients exhibiting what's been described as "AI psychosis," a nonclinical term, used the technology before experiencing mental health issues, "but they turned to it in the wrong place at the wrong time, and it supercharged some of their vulnerabilities." During the podcast, Sacks doubted the whole concept of "AI psychosis." "I mean, what are we talking about here? People doing too much research?" he asked. "This feels like the moral panic that was created over social media, but updated for AI." Sacks then referred to a recent article featuring a psychiatrist, who said they didn't believe using a chatbot inherently induced "AI psychosis" if there aren't other risk factors — including social and genetic — involved. "In other words, this is just a manifestation or outlet for pre-existing problems," Sacks said. "I think it's fair to say we're in the midst of a mental health crisis in this country." Sacks attributed the crisis instead to the COVID-19 pandemic and related lockdowns. "That's what seems to have triggered a lot of these mental health declines," he said. After several reports of users suffering mental breaks while using ChatGPT, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman addressed the issue on X after the company rolled out the highly anticipated GPT-5. "People have used technology, including AI, in self-destructive ways; if a user is in a mentally fragile state and prone to delusion, we do not want the AI to reinforce that," Altman wrote. "Most users can keep a clear line between reality and fiction or role-play, but a small percentage cannot." Earlier this month, OpenAI introduced safeguards in ChatGPT, including a prompt encouraging users to take breaks after long conversations with the chatbot. The update will also change how the chatbot responds to users asking about personal challenges.
