Cigna and Wachovia

This week my mom and I went to Philadelphia. First we went to Wachovia to say thank you for everything they are doing to help save babies. We visited a lot of different departments. The lunch room floor had yellow and blue squares that I jumped on while my mom was telling our story. Then we attended the Cigna March for Babies Leaders Luncheon at the Ritz Carelton. I saw my friend Melanie Izzo of Cigna again, and Jane Massey from the March of Dimes, and met Ed Hanway, Cigna’s CEO and Chairman. Cigna has been a national sponsor of the March of Dimes for a long time. I also saw Tracy Davidson from NBC 10 again. She interviewed me for her blog.

Play Ball!

Last week my family and I drove from Allentown, PA to Cincinnati, OH. It took 9 hours. The first thing we did in Cincinnati was go to a cookout at GE Aviation. Their walk team raises nearly $200,000. We got to meet Herana-Daze Jones, safety for the Cincinnati Bengals. He signed my program! Chris taught was about the history of jet engines. They are so big. We couldn’t take any pictures because they are top secret.

We also went to a carnival at Citi. I signed autographs with Mr. Jones. My brother Michael played in a lot of games and won really neat prizes. It was a lot of fun. We also went to the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center to meet with the NICU transport team, and the CEO, James Anderson. I sat in the ambulence they use to transport really small and sick babies just like I was.

On Thursday, we went to a March of Dimes Board meeting. I got a really big group hug. Then we went to a Cincinnati Reds game. I got to throw out the first pitch and Michael got to catch it. I was a little nervous so we practiced a lot. When we went out onto the field the announcer said our names and our pictures were up on the jumbotron. They let me stand closer to home plate because I’m only five and can’t reach from the mound. Michael caught the ball. It was great!! We had fun watching the game and visiting the Hall of Fame. The best part was that the Reds won! Then we went to the Newport Aquarium and were interviewed on WCPO-TV.

Watch the video of me throwing out the first pitch!

On Friday,we visited FedEx Kinkos and I made my own book. Then we went to the Bear Bash and the Vice Mayor proclaimed it “Healthy Babies Day”. Charmin sponsored the event so there as a huge bear there and a really big toilet. 1,000 bears were donated to the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital NICU. After the program we went to Graeter’s for ice cream and to say hi to supporters from Duke Energy.

We had a really fun time in Cincinnati!