THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, March 6, 1996 TAG: 9603050117
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Linda McNatt
LENGTH: Medium: 100 lines
What makes Elizabeth Harrison a special little girl?
She has big, brown eyes and silky, dark brown hair that curls on the ends - and a heart-melting smile.
And she's the 1996 ambassador child for the greater Hampton Roads area March of Dimes.
That means 2 1/2-year-old Elizabeth, who lives in Carrsville with her parents, Angie and Billy Harrison, will be appearing throughout the year to promote the cause of defeating birth defects.
The March of Dimes was originally founded in 1938 by Franklin D. Roosevelt to fight polio. When the polio vaccine was discovered, it became the only charity to eradicate the disease it originally set out to conquer.
So the March of Dimes took on another dimension. Today it focuses on a campaign for healthier babies and preventing birth defects and infant mortality.
Elizabeth, as precious as she is, represents several examples of what the organization is trying to prevent.
Angie Harrison describes her pregnancy with Elizabeth as perfect. No morning sickness. No swelling. No problems. And the baby appeared healthy when she was born in September 1993, her mother says.
But there were indications everything wasn't as it seemed. Doctors did some early testing, but that still didn't indicate exactly what was in store for Elizabeth.
At 4 months, the soft spot on her head closed, which means her brain probably hasn't grown and developed as it should. Despite numerous tests, doctors are still unable to predict Elizabeth's future.
As time goes on, more and more problems show up. Urinary tract infections. Ear infections. A hernia. Reflux. Allergies. Since birth, her little feet have twisted in until, today, she has to wear a brace most of the time.
But does all this stop her?
Not at all.
Elizabeth is a bundle of energy and activity. At her great-grandmother's house on a Carrsville farm, she's constantly in motion. The Harrisons know her speech and language are ``delayed,'' but she keeps up a stream of babbling that obviously makes sense to her.
She watches every movement around her. And unlike other children who might bang on the piano when they get a chance, Elizabeth very carefully mimics her great-grandmother, former acting County Administrator Juanita Byrum. Elizabeth touches each key, and her eyes grow wide as she listens intently to the sound of music.
``She is so precious, so precious,'' Byrum likes to say. And she's right.
The hard part of living with Elizabeth, Angie Harrison makes clear, is being so uncertain about her little girl's future. Nobody can tell the family why the toddler has the problems she has, and nobody yet can tell them what to do about them.
Meanwhile, the Harrisons are doing all they can. Angie Harrison spends a lot of time traveling between Isle of Wight County and the Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters in Norfolk, taking Elizabeth for tests and treatments. She gets tired, she admits, but never frustrated.
When she sees other mothers there with babies who are so sick and their bodies so twisted, she realizes how lucky she is.
And that's why the Carrsville woman is spending so much time helping the March of Dimes.
``Maybe what they're doing can't help Elizabeth now, but they can help other children, those who haven't been born yet. We, as parents, have been through it all, and we can understand what others are going through.''
Elizabeth and her mom, so far, have appeared at March of Dimes campaign kick-off breakfasts in Norfolk, Suffolk, Franklin, Williamsburg and on the Peninsula. In the coming months, they'll be making special appearances at ``WalkAmerica for Healthier Babies'' events throughout the area, one of the charity's major fund-raising efforts.
On March 20, when Virginia Power's Surry Nuclear Plant sponsors a pie-throwing contest to benefit the March of Dimes, participating plant workers will get to meet Elizabeth. They know how adorable she is. There's a large poster of her already on display.
Harrison is doing all of this because she knows what the March of Dimes has already accomplished. It has conquered polio. It has headed research that helped to develop therapy to treat respiratory distress syndrome and breakthrough gene therapy that replaces defective genes with healthy ones.
It heads a nationwide campaign to tell women about steps they can take before they become pregnant to have a healthy baby - including taking folic acid every day to help prevent serious birth defects. That's a relatively new discovery. Harrison can't help but wonder, what if she had known?
All the hard work and all the running - keeping up with the public appearances - aren't for Elizabeth, but there's a good reason behind it, Harrison says.
``What she has been through is a reason to do it. Maybe other mothers can get answers.''
There is a WalkAmerica event in nearly every Hampton Roads locality except Isle of Wight.
Seems like somebody ought to be able to do something about that. There are a lot of Elizabeths out there just waiting to be born. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by LINDA McNATT
As ambassador child for the greater Hampton Roads area March of
Dimes, Elizabeth Harrison will make appearances throughout the
year.
by CNB