Chefs and philanthropists joined forces to support the teeny tiniest among us at the eighth annual March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction last Monday evening at the Quail Valley River Club. Co-chaired by Emily Burgoon and Citrus Grillhouse owner Chef Scott Varricchio, the event raises money to improve the health of babies through the prevention of birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.
Inclement weather dictated that chefs set up their food stations along the covered veranda rather than the open-air patio, but the 10 talented chefs were up to the occasion.
In addition to Varricchio, tapas-style creations were presented by chefs Stephane Becht, Bistro Fourchette; Christopher Bireley, Osceola Bistro; Clay Conley, Buccan; Eric Grutka, Ian’s Tropical Grill; Jason Stocks, District Table & Bar; Brett Johanson, Avanzare; Daniel Traimas, Cobalt; Mike VanBuskirk, Southern Social; and Kitty Wagner, Blue Star Brasserie; and dessert was provided by Quail Valley’s Joe Faria.
A large selection of silent-auction items was displayed in the dining room, and in the bar area guests enjoyed listening to guitarist Jesse Kerner and sampling wines from the Ard Aven Winery offered by Willow Creek distributor Tiffany Rueter. Attorney John Moore enticed bidding through a live auction and Fund the Mission paddle raise, and the Faulknier family put a face to the mission.
Lilly and Riley Jack Faulknier, ages 14 and 10, are robust and healthy today but both were born prematurely; Lilly at just 24 weeks. They are the children of Katherine and Dr. Brett Faulknier, and Katherine shared the story of her kids’ perilous journey into the world.
During the early days of her first pregnancy, Katherine Faulknier was working as an RN and things were going well until she felt a little backache, which fortuitously she did not ignore. After calling her doctor and going in for an exam, she was diagnosed with an incompetent (short) cervix, that was not strong enough to hold the pregnancy. The doctor hoped to get the baby to at least 27 weeks by strengthening the cervix with a cerclage (stitch), but Lilly was on her way.
“We were very, very blessed that I went in with that little complaint,” she said.
The doctors gave her steroid shots to strengthen the baby’s lungs and delivered the miniscule 1-pound, 11-inch baby girl by C-section. Lilly’s first few weeks of a three-month stay in neonatal intensive care unit were fraught with peril.
“I held her for the first time at 8 weeks old. The baby has to be 2 pounds and stable in order to be held,” said Faulknier, adding that skin-to-skin “kangaroo care” seemed to work. “It starts the whole bonding which had really been delayed. It seemed like after we held her she slowly improved.”
When Lilly was 3, Faulknier became pregnant with her second child and had the cerclage placed at 16 weeks. She again went into preterm labor, but this time at 32 weeks, delivering Riley Jack at 5 pounds, 16 inches.
“Both of them just continued to thrive,” said Faulknier. “Those days are far behind us. The March of Dimes was with us every step of the way, from knowing to take folic acid prenatally, to the steroid shots given to me to strengthen the baby’s lungs when I was delivering very early, to the research in multiple interventions in the NICU, including kangaroo care, and the family support group that followed me home. There are seven areas the March of Dimes is focusing on this year, and one of the research areas is the incompetent cervix.”
