Leila's Legacy... Looking Up.

When Leila was still alive, I was approached by someone I hadn't spoken to in about 6 years. She wanted to let me know that she had been working on a document in Leila's name.

You may already be confused. I apologize. I don't know how to explain something of this magnitude.

Okay. Let me start over and slow down.

So this woman that contacted me: we had met in high school through speech and debate. She was always very eloquent and focused, and VERY good at what she did.

It isn't surprising at all to me that she has pursued a career in politics. She currently works for the speaker of the house in Illinois.

Okay, so now that I explained that part, let's move on to the document.

A resolution. She wrote a resolution concerning premature birth in honor of Leila. Those words don't do her words justice, so I will paste the resolution for you to read yourself.

I hope as you read this, you feel what I felt. I felt purpose. I felt pride. I felt this overwhelming sense of "God's plan" shining through.

Maybe Leila's life was meant to inspire this very resolution. Maybe God is working through my long lost friend, and the state of Illinois, to spark something bigger.

It is my dearest wish that this resolution not only continue on in the state of Illinois, but that it can spread to other states to inspire the same conversation and improvement that is already happening in Illinois.

Thank you, to my friend, for letting Leila inspire you the way she inspired me. I hope you know how much this means to me, and so many other premie Mothers.



Please forgive the roughness of this copy. It was taken directly from the Illinois General Assembly website.




HR0094 LRB097 07105 GRL 48085 r

1 HOUSE RESOLUTION


2 WHEREAS, Premature birth is a serious and growing problem
3 that affects families from every walk of life and in every
4 corner of the country; and

5 WHEREAS, 12.8%, or one of every eight, of all babies born
6 in the United States are born prematurely; and

7 WHEREAS, Premature births have increased by 36% since the
8 early 1980s; and

9 WHEREAS, In the United States, prematurity/low birthweight
10 is the second leading cause of all infant deaths in the first
11 year of life and the leading cause of infant death among black
12 infants; and

13 WHEREAS, Premature babies who survive may suffer life-long
14 consequences, including cerebral palsy, mental retardation,
15 chronic lung disease, and vision and hearing loss; and

16 WHEREAS, Preterm birth and low birth weight are a
17 significant financial burden in health care; and

18 WHEREAS, The medical, educational, and lost of
19 productivity costs associated with preterm birth in the United


HR0094 - 2 - LRB097 07105 GRL 48085 r

1 States was at least $26 billion in 2005; and

2 WHEREAS, Low birth weight, especially in conjunction with
3 environmental stress, is associated with the development of
4 diabetes and other chronic diseases later in life; and

5 WHEREAS, It is a fact that pre-term infants are more likely
6 to have health problems that result in re-hospitalization; and

7 WHEREAS, The causes of premature births are not fully
8 understood; and

9 WHEREAS, The cause of approximately half of all preterm
10 births is completely unknown; and

11 WHEREAS, To reduce the rates of preterm labor and delivery,
12 more research and funding is needed on the underlying causes of
13 preterm delivery, the prevention of preterm birth so that
14 babies are born full-term, and treatments improving outcomes
15 for infants born prematurely; therefore, be it

16 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
17 NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
18 we recognize activities and programs that promote awareness of
19 and solutions to the dangers of premature birth across the
20 United States; and be it further


HR0094 - 3 - LRB097 07105 GRL 48085 r

1 RESOLVED, That we designate the 16th of every month in 2011
2 as Premature Birth Prevention and Awareness Day in the State of
3 Illinois; and be it further

4 RESOLVED, That we encourage Congress to reauthorize the
5 PREEMIE Act, which is currently scheduled to expire at the end
6 of fiscal year 2011, to continue and enhance federal support
7 for research into the causes and prevention of premature birth
8 and to reduce infant mortality caused by prematurity; and be it
9 further

10 RESOLVED, That we dedicate this resolution to the memory of
11 Leilani Marie Decker and her courageous struggle; and be it
12 further

13 RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
14 presented to the Governor, the Speaker and Minority Leader of
15 the Illinois House of Representatives, the President and
16 Minority Leader of the Illinois Senate, and the members of the
17 Illinois congressional delegation.