Governor Bentley has proclaimed April 19th Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) Awareness Day in Alabama. There will be parades all over the USA to bring awareness to this birth defect that occurs 1 in every 2,500 births.

It occurs when the diaphragm fails to fully form, allowing abdominal organs into the chest cavity and preventing lung growth.

Our grandson, Jim Beau, was born with CDH in 2009. Fifty percent of babies born with CDH do not survive.

Through prayer and the care of CDH specialists, Jim Beau is now a rambunctious 2 1/2 year old. We had never heard of CDH when Jim Beau was diagnosed, even though it is as common as spina bifida and cystic fibrosis.

Jim Beau’s family and I will be participating in the Parade of CHERUBS in Washington, D.C., to help bring awareness to CDH.

We want to find the cause of CDH and help as many babies as possible. For more information you can go to www.savethecherubs.org.

Mary Sessions

Wife of U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala