Cerebral Palsy

WalkAmerica takes place Saturday in Victoria, and Gray has formed two teams: Team Gabrielle, which consists of her three older sons and husband, and Team Woolson, which is composed of her co-workers at Woolson Real Estate Co.

"It's important to find a cure.

We need to do everything we can to find a cure, so that we can save babies' lives," she said.

Premature birth is the No.

1 cause of newborn death, according to Deborah Holt, community director for the Texas chapter, Corpus Christi Division of the March of Dimes.

It has reached epidemic proportions in the U.S., endangering the lives of more than half a million babies, and it's growing at an alarming rate, she added.

In Texas, the rate of preterm births increased 22 percent between 1993 and 2003 and the Texas prematurity rate is higher than the national average by 1.6 percent, according to statistics from the March of Dimes.

In an average week in Texas, more than 1,000 babies are born preterm and seven babies will die as a result of prematurity and low birth weight.

"The statistics are really quite alarming and WalkAmerica is a fun family event that brings light to the issue of prematurity throughout America," Holt said.

Gray is glad she got her family and my co-wor...

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