The Quails are ready to march for dimes and dollars and more Saturday, April 18.

Brian, the dad, Tina, the mom, and Cassie and David Quail, as well as the triplets: Lincoln, Lila and Christian.

Two sons and a daughter, who, along with their mother, beat the odds and entered this world under harrowing circumstances.

The triplets are the 2009 Ambassador Family for the Mower County March of Dimes Walk to raise money to research birth defects.

Nathan Finney is ready to lead. He has replaced Randy Kramer, who directed the fundraiser for the last five years.

“The satisfaction in being a part of this is in knowing I have contributed to something I know is vitally important to parents and families everywhere,” he said.

Finney is taking his new new role, since starting as a volunteer and becoming a board member, very seriously.

“In an average week, there are 1,364 babies born in Minnesota. Of those babies, 146 are born pre-term,” he said.

Another 89 babies are born with low birth weight, and six babies die before reaching their first birth birthday, according to Finney’s research.

Finney, married and the father of four children, is becoming an expert, citing March of Dimes — Minnesota statistics to whatever audience he can find to spread the message about how important it is to raise money for birth defect research.

The Quail family of Adams is expected to provide Finney with a lot of help; triplets and all.

“Being pregnant with three babies was a challenge,” said the mother, Tina Quail. “It also brought complications which also resulted in a 10-week hospital stay before the babies were born.”

The Quails’ triplets were due Feb. 16, 2008 and born Dec. 17, 2007, at 31 weeks, three days.

At the onset of the mother’s hospital stay, doctors were concerned the mother would deliver at 24 or 25 weeks.

The babies’ weight at birth were: 3 pounds, 9 ounces; 2 pounds, 1 ounce; and 2 pounds, 9 ounces.

The babies’ length at birth were: 15-, 14- and 14-inches.

The babies were born at Methodist Hospital, Rochester, and then transferred to St. Mary’s Hospital NCIU.

Two of the triplets had serious problems before and after birth.

Lila had absent diastolic flow in her umbilical cord for the last four weeks of the pregnancy.

On the day the babies were born, the doctor decided to deliver them because Lila’s umbilical cord had changed from absent flow to reverse flow, which is more dangerous for the fetus, according to the mother.

During the last four weeks of the mother’s pregnancy, all Lila ate was what she could drink through her mouth, according to the mother. “She received nothing from the umbilical cord,” she said. “This probably contributed to her being smaller than the boys.”

Lincoln was born with a Patent Ductus Arteriosis.

PDA is an open blood vessel near the heart and lung, which is a necessary part of a fetus’ circulation.

A PDA should close within a few days after birth, and if it doesn’t it can cause breathing difficulties and sometimes heart failure.

“Lincoln’s condition was discovered because he had a heart murmur,” the mother said. “After trying to treat it with a couple of medications, it was decided that he would have surgery to close the valve.”

While waiting for the surgery, Lincoln had a “Necrotzing Enter Colitis” scare.

NEC is an intestinal disease in which portions of the bowel are damaged or destroyed, because of poor blood flow, inflammation or infection.

Lincoln became very sick, but fortunately the NEC scare was properly treated and 10 days after being diagnosed with the NEC scare, Lincoln was healthy enough to have the PDA surgery.

Tina is a stay-at-home mom and her husband, Brian, owns Quail Steel Construction, which specializes in the construction of grain hauling equipment.

The couple has two other children: Cassie, 8, and Davin, 6.

The official kickoff of this year’s March of Dimes Walk is Friday.

That’s when team leaders will gather 7 to 9 a.m. to greet volunteers and distribute information and pledge packets at the Coffee House on Main.

The Quail Ambassadors will be there, too.

The walk will originate at Holiday Inn of Austin April 18.

This year, Albert Lea is not hosting a March of Dimes Walk, so proceeds collected in Freeborn County will go to the local fundraiser, whose goal is to raise $65,000.

Last year, 350 people participated in the 2008 March of Dimes Walk. This year, Finney is expecting 500 participants who will walk or run to raise money for the charity.

The six-mile walk will be held rain or shine, according to Finney.

For more information about assisting the 2009 March of Dimes Walk, contact Finney at (507) 434-3337 or e-mail natef@accentracu.org

New volunteers are also welcome to attend the Friday morning kickoff to learn how they can help.