Mission Pharmacal and March of Dimes® Share Commitment to Healthier Moms and Babies

Family stories show why research and fundraising matter.

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Apr 30, 2015, 03:47 ET

SAN ANTONIO, April 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- "We're certain the continuing research supported by the March of Dimes will help spare another family from going through the same heartache we have experienced," says Donnie Poitevent (Safety Manager, Mission Pharmacal) summing up why he and his family are avid supporters of Mission Pharmacal Company's partnership and shared mission with the March of Dimes to help give babies the healthiest starts possible.

Brothers Jack and J.D. Roberts, shown here with their parents, Candice and Ronnie Roberts, were born prematurely. With support from the March of Dimes and the research it funds, today the boys are active and thriving at ages six and eight.

In March of 2013, Poitevent's son, Taylor, and daughter-in-law, Dawn, of Corpus Christi, Texas, welcomed fraternal twin girls, Ainsley and Briley, into the world. As a result of unexpected preterm labor, the twins were born prematurely at 23 weeks and immediately began the fight of their lives, struggling even to breathe.

Babies born at 23 weeks face staggering odds, with a slim chance of survival. Briley lived only through the night. Ainsley lived for 29 days, enduring heart surgery and setbacks before finally succumbing to infection.

"This is why we're sharing our story and participating in March for Babies events with Mission Pharmacal colleagues and others," says Poitevent. "We walk in honor and memory of Ainsley and Briley Poitevent and to help prevent this kind of tragedy from happening to someone else."

Stories like the Poitevents are exactly why Mission Pharmacal continues for the sixth consecutive year as a national sponsor of March for Babies®, the March of Dimes premier fundraising event to raise funds for research to help moms have full-term pregnancies and healthy babies. Mission Pharmacal is one of the top corporate supporters in San Antonio. Hundreds of Mission Pharmacal employees participate each year throughout the United States walking, organizing creative fundraisers such as crawfish boils and motorcycle rides, and volunteering onsite at March for Babies events to distribute healthcare information.

Collectively, Mission and its employees have raised more than $1.5 million for March of Dimes since 2010. Funding research to solve the mysteries behind premature birth is at the heart of the March of Dimes mission. While it's too late for research to help Ainsley and Briley, the Poitevents have learned of new March of Dimes-funded research currently underway that may help prevent the condition that caused the girls' premature birth and spare other families the loss they experienced.

The Poitevents participated in March of Dimes activities well before the twins' birth and have since become even greater supporters — walking, fundraising, and encouraging others to get involved. Ironically, Dawn Poitevent, the twins' mother, is a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) nurse who has cared for hundreds of premature babies and seen how the March of Dimes helps their families. In fact, while joining in Mission team walks in San Antonio she often runs into children she once took care of as babies when she worked in the St. Luke's Hospital NICU in San Antonio in years past.

In addition, Taylor and Dawn Poitevent are active in their local March for Babies walk in Corpus Christi, which will be on May 9 this year. They invite others to join them.

"In a thousand years, I never would've dreamed that something I've helped with in the past could impact our family to this extent," says Donnie Poitevent. "I tell people that through their donations, they may be able to touch a life and help prevent a tragedy. The size of a contribution is not important. Any amount adds to the total to help people.

"As my daughter-in-law has seen working in NICUs and now experienced firsthand, the March of Dimes is a big component of care for premature babies and babies needing intensive care. If these donations and research help one family not go through the emotional and financial sides of something like this, it's worth every penny. Many people don't realize how much it costs just from a financial aspect when a baby needs special care. Ainsley was a million dollar baby."

The Poitevent family's story continues on a happy note, as Ainsley and Briley's parents now have a healthy son, Hayes Poitevent. Born full term on Christmas day 2014, Hayes has given his family renewed hope and commitment to the joint mission of Mission Pharmacal and March of Dimes to fulfill unmet healthcare needs for moms and babies.

The story of another Mission family, the Roberts, further shows how March of Dimes-funded research, programs, and awareness efforts make a difference for all babies and their families.

"The March of Dimes has given us two gifts, and their names are J.D. and Jack," says Ronnie Roberts (Manager of Tablet Compression and Tablet Coating, Mission Pharmacal), referring to his two sons and the reasons he and his wife Candice wholeheartedly support the March of Dimes.

Their sons, Jack and J.D., were born at 30 and 32 weeks respectively two years apart, as a result of preterm labor and preeclampsia. Today the boys are thriving at ages six and eight. They regularly join their parents and the Mission team at March for Babies in San Antonio. The boys ride along in a wagon, sporting specially made T-shirts featuring their pictures as tiny babies to show how far they've come!

Living through the journey of premature birth with their boys, the Roberts benefited from many behind-the-scenes March of Dimes services for babies needing special care. When Candice Roberts experienced pregnancy complications as early as 19 weeks with both sons, March of Dimes funding and research provided steroid injections to help the babies' lungs develop even before birth. After birth, J.D. and Jack also received surfactant replacement therapy to combat breathing problems.

"Without the surfactant therapy provided by the March of Dimes, our youngest son probably wouldn't even be here," says Candice Roberts. "Now, he has healthy lungs. These research breakthroughs truly help save babies, and in turn save parents the heartache of losing babies.

"The March of Dimes needs funds to continue these amazing advancements. Even full-term babies can have health problems and end up in a NICU, and the March of Dimes helps them all."

Hospital elevator posters seen when their oldest son was born first encouraged the Roberts to check into March of Dimes services for families with premature babies. They quickly found the marchofdimes.org website and connected with what they call "sanity-saving" online support groups for mothers who've experienced preeclampsia and families with babies in the NICU.

"The March of Dimes also offers great resources for dads that are easy to find and use," adds Ronnie Roberts. "After my sons' births, I was torn between my wife in one room and my new baby upstairs in the NICU. It was reassuring to have support from others who understood my dilemma."

The Roberts also discovered that the March of Dimes provides the latest study results, treatment protocols, and other practical resources for physicians and parents to improve outcomes for babies needing special care. For example, many doctors rarely see extreme prematurity so having current step-by-step treatment guidelines for premature babies on hand can make a life-saving difference for their tiny patients. Similarly, the March of Dimes was one of the first organizations to report the benefits of skin-to-skin contact or "kangaroo care" in helping premature babies develop. The Roberts used this approach with their boys and feel it speeded their progress.

The story comes full circle in another way, too. During both pregnancies, even before Ronnie Roberts worked at Mission, Candice Roberts took CitraNatal® vitamins because March of Dimes studies show folic acid may aid proper neural tube development and reduce risks of birth defects affecting the brain and spine, such as spina bifida, which we were concerned about.¹ Then later, Ronnie Roberts started working for Mission, helping to manufacture CitraNatal.

"In part because I took the vitamins my husband now makes and because Mission is so committed to exceeding standards, my children avoided problems related to folic acid deficiencies and are thriving," says Candice Roberts.

"Our experience with premature babies showed me just how important prenatal vitamins are," says Ronnie Roberts. "It gives me such job satisfaction to know the pills we make here in Boerne, Texas, touch babies' lives around the world every day. It comes full circle. It's exciting to work for a company like Mission that has such a commitment to March of Dimes, moms, and babies."

As the maker of the high-quality CitraNatal® family of prenatal vitamins, Dr. Smith's® diaper rash treatment products, and additional pediatric and women's health products, Mission's commitment to mothers and babies is an integral and enduring part of the company's mission.

"We are thankful that physicians and patients support our CitraNatal and Dr. Smith's brands," says Pete Marchesini, Chief Operating Officer of Alamo Pharma Services, a subsidiary of Mission Pharmacal. "Their commercial support along with the efforts of our employees enable Mission to provide significant financial backing to the March of Dimes. Our shared goal of working to fill the unmet healthcare needs of moms and babies makes supporting the March of Dimes a natural fit for us. In turn, this support benefits healthcare providers, families, and babies everywhere." Marchesini represented Mission at the 2014 ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the March of Dimes Prematurity Research Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

To watch a video about how March of Dimes research, vaccines, and breakthroughs benefit every baby born in the U.S., click here. For more information about Mission Pharmacal and its products, please visit missionpharmacal.com.

1. March of Dimes website. http://www.marchofdimes.org/pregnancy/folic-acid.aspx. Accessed April 14, 2015.

INDICATIONS: CitraNatal Harmony®, CitraNatal Assure®, CitraNatal B-Calm®* and CitraNatal® 90 DHA are multivitamin/mineral prescription drugs indicated for use in improving the nutritional status of women prior to conception, throughout pregnancy, and in the postnatal period for both lactating and nonlactating mothers.
*CitraNatal B-Calm may be used in conjunction with a physician prescribed regimen to help minimize pregnancy related nausea and vomiting.

Important Safety Information

CONTRAINDICATIONS: These products are contraindicated in patients with a known hypersensitivity to any of the ingredients.

WARNING: Accidental overdose of iron-containing products is a leading cause of fatal poisoning in children under 6. KEEP THESE PRODUCTS OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN. In case of accidental overdose, call a doctor or poison control center immediately.

WARNING: More than 3 grams total intake per day of omega-3 fatty acids from all sources, including both food and supplements (like Docosahexaenoic Acid [DHA] and Eicosapentaenoic Acid [EPA]), have been shown to have potential antithrombotic effects, including an increased bleeding time and INR. Administration of omega-3 fatty acids should be avoided in patients on anticoagulants and in those known to have an inherited or acquired bleeding diathesis.⁺
⁺CitraNatal B-Calm does not contain DHA or EPA.
WARNING: Folic acid alone is improper therapy in the treatment of pernicious anemia and other megaloblastic anemias where vitamin B₁₂ is deficient.

For more information about CitraNatal products, including full Prescribing Information and Precautions and Adverse Reactions, please visit citranatal.com.

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