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Hope
Zvara-Krebs demonstrates a yoga pose at her Hartford studio.
The couple, who are expecting their second child in July,
hope to raise awareness and money for March of Dimes.
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HARTFORD - A life that lasted only
minutes has provided more than a lifetime of faith for a Hartford
couple.
"A year ago, my husband (Brian) and I lost our first daughter
at birth," said Hope Zvara-Krebs.
When she was 27 weeks pregnant, doctors discovered her baby suffered
severe kidney problems, underdeveloped lungs and open spina bifida.
There was nothing they could do.
"They induced labor and she was
born alive. She lived for 20 minutes," Zvara-Krebs said.
But the couple wanted her legacy to live on.
"I kept thinking, ‘how can I have my daughter live on as if
she’s still here?’ With my (Copper Tree Wellness Studio) we do a
lot of donations, and when I came across March of Dimes, which
supports families and children dealing with birth defects, I felt a
real connection to it," she said.
Zvara-Krebs decided to create Copper Tree Wellness Studio Team
Faith, named in memory of her daughter, to walk in the first March
for Babies event in West Bend.
Money raised through the walk goes to support families dealing with
birth defects and to research in how to treat and prevent birth
defects.
Since March of Dimes began 70 years
ago, it has funded science which has led to the eradication of
polio, a higher survival rate for premature babies, vital care
available to pregnant woman through mobile units and families have
received help through NICU Family Support, according to the March of
Dimes Southeast Division.
Despite the efforts, families are still affected by birth defects
and premature births.
Each year, according to the March of Dimes, 1 million babies do not
receive life-saving newborn screening tests, 500,000 babies are born
prematurely and 150,000 are born with birth defects.
Zvara-Krebs is hoping the life of her daughter can help families for
years to come.
"We named her Faith. I thought that was appropriate. With my
name being Hope, I always said I would never name my kids Faith or
Joy, but she gave us faith," she said.
"I would never want anyone to go through what I went through.
There’s nothing anyone can say or do to help (with the loss of a
child). It really has to work itself out. Yoga has helped me be able
to do that and to make it a lot easier to talk about," she
said.
So has become involved in raising money for the March of Dimes.
"It gives purpose," she said.
Initially doctors thought Faith’s birth defects was due to
genetics. However, Zvara-Krebs said it ended up being a one-in-a
million occurrence.
"You think ‘one in a million, what are the chances?’ and
then you’re the one in a million and you realize life is so
precious," she said. "We’re both really healthy people,
I ate healthy and you think you don’t have anything to worry
about. It’s so random."
For that reason, Zvara-Krebs said she hopes expecting mothers take
advantage of all the prenatal screening they can to catch problems
early on.
Her goal is to raise awareness of the
importance of prenatal care, along with the message of faith,
through the walk.
"It’s never good to dwell on the bad things. My husband and I
always try to find good in a situation," she said.
The most recent good news for the
couple came last week, when they learned the child they’re
expecting on July 26 is healthy.
"Being pregnant now, and taking part in the walk, I feel even
more connected to the cause," she said. "There is hope.
Don’t give up, don’t dwell on the loss. There is a gain with
everything."
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