Family Story Assets (Word Document and Photos)
Click here to download
Jennifer’s Story
Background: Interviewed
Jennifer Viart of Hialeah, Florida about being born prematurely. Jennifer was
born prematurely at 24 weeks.
Vitals: Jennifer
was born weighing 2.8 pounds, and was in the NICU for 74 days.
Interventions:
Jennifer was born with low birthweight and bradycardia. In the second grade,
she was diagnosed with a learning disability that affects reading, writing and
mathematics.
Just because some premature babies are born with little to
no birth defects, it doesn't mean that they won't have problems in the future.
Complications, like learning disabilities, can affect them [premature babies] later
in life. I was born at 24 weeks and was in the NICU for 74 days. At birth, I
weighed 2.8 pounds. I was lucky that the only drastic effects were that I was
born with low birthweight and bradycardia—being in the NICU helped me recover. I
want to share my story so it can give hope to other people.
When I was in the second grade, I was diagnosed with a
learning disability that affects reading, writing and mathematics. It greatly impacted
my ability to excel in school, and psychologists said that I wouldn’t be able
to graduate high school because of my extreme difficulty grasping and applying
certain concepts. Throughout my schooling I was given accommodations, such as
extended time on tests and homework assignments and free access to tutors after
school. I have worked incredibly hard—staying up nights to learn and practice—in
order to identify my weaknesses. I worked through the difficulty of
understanding concepts, and slowly learned to make up for the difficulties I
have processing information.
March of Dimes has played a vital role in my life—they fund
research and programs, and educate professionals, like the specialized doctors
I saw when I was younger.
I’m currently attending Miami Dade College, studying
computer science and am enrolled in the Honors College for my Associates degree.
I’m applying to universities to further my education and receive a Bachelor’s
degree. My career goal is to become a software engineer and my educational goal
is to receive a Master’s degree in the area of technology. I am working toward
these goals each day.
