Six-year-old Justin Lamar Washington is the 2001 March of Dimes National Ambassador. (photo by Dana Johnson)
Former Children’s Hospital patient named March of Dimes ambassador
In 1994, Dorenda Washington held Justin, who was born four months premature and weighed only
1 pound, 8 1/2 ounces.
Justin and his parents Kraig and Dorenda Washington stop and check on NICU patient MaKayla Dickerson while touring the unit.(photo by Dana Johnson)
Justin and his grandmother Carolyn Butler talk with NICU nurse Lynn Graham during his visit to Vanderbilt. (photo by Dana Johnson)
For the first time in the hospital’s history, a former Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital patient has been selected as the March of Dimes 2001 National Ambassador.
Justin Lamar Washington was born at a Nashville area hospital on Nov. 13, 1994 – four months premature and weighing only 1 pound, 8 1/2 ounces. After a month in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), he was transferred to Vanderbilt’s NICU. He remained at Vanderbilt under constant care for the next three months.
“Justin is truly an amazing little boy,” said Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, president of the March of Dimes. “The challenges he faced at birth could have resulted in death, but through the help of many he is with us here today.”
The March of Dimes works to fight birth defects, prematurity and infant mortality.
Because his lungs were severely underdeveloped, he was placed on a ventilator to help him breathe and given surfactant therapy. Surfactant is an oily substance the body produces to help re-inflate the lungs after each breath. Premature babies are often not able to produce this substance. The treatment was developed in part by research funded by the March of Dimes.
Today, Washington is a healthy child with no residual effects from his ordeal. He was recently reunited with the staff and toured the NICU as well as the specially equipped ambulances that transport critically ill newborns to Vanderbilt.
It was also a family reunion. Washington’s grandmother, Carolyn Butler, is an administrative assistant with LifeFlight, and his cousin, Stephanie Vaughn, is a NICU nurse.
“We can’t thank Vanderbilt enough,” said his mother, Dorenda Washington. “Their efforts to help save our son were unbelievable, and we felt so comfortable here.”
Dorenda was visiting relatives in Nashville when she went into premature labor with Justin. The family resides in Miami, Florida.
During his first year of life, Washington underwent intestinal, hernia and laser eye surgery. He was also treated for hyperbilirubineman, which results from a temporary liver malfunction due to prematurity.
In his role as National Ambassador, Justin will travel with his parents across the country, sharing his story with volunteers, community groups, companies and leaders.
Each year the not-for-profit Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital NICU treats over 1,000 critically ill babies.