Buchanans WalkAmerica ambassadors

By MELISSA STOVER / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

Two-year-old Eli Buchanan, left, and his sister Araya, 1, have been selected with their parents as Warren County’s WalkAmerica ambassadors for this year’s annual March of Dimes walk. (Melissa Stover photo)

Pregnancy is usually a joyous time in a couple’s life. The impending birth brings wonder and dreams of what’s to come. A healthy, happy, full-term baby is what we desire, but for local residents Leslie and Orlando Buchanan that wasn’t the case.

Leslie, already the mother of one, knew the risks and the worry she was about to endure when she found out she was expecting her second child. She was what doctors call a high-risk pregnancy which means she was at a greater risk to deliver her baby prematurely.

With her first child she had been on bed rest since her 13th week of pregnancy and eventually delivered a full-term boy. But she was not so lucky the second time around.

Thirty weeks into her pregnancy, she and her husband were enjoying a football game on TV.

“She was excited about the game,” said husband Orlando. “It was Titans verses Cowboys.”

During all the excitement, Leslie told Orlando she thought her water had broken. Since she wasn’t due for another 10 weeks, she called the doctor and he told her to come to the hospital to check it out, but before she even left the house her suspicions were confirmed with a sudden gush of amniotic fluid.

After a check up at River Park Hospital, Leslie was transferred to Vanderbilt where on Sept. 17, 2002, by emergency cesarean section, she gave birth to a 3-pound, 2-ounce baby girl, Araya Buchanan.

Now a healthy 17 months, it was a long road and hospital stay for Araya and her family. It took two months in two hospitals before the Buchanans could take their new baby home. Orlando said doctors told them premature babies usually have many health problems, including being unable to feed because their mouth isn’t mature enough to latch on.

Now that most of their ordeal is over and they are blessed with a healthy girl, the Buchanans want to help other families who may be experiencing similar situations. That’s why they are joining the March of Dimes team with Araya. Her story has led her family to be chosen as the Warren County WalkAmerica ambassadors.