August 16, 2005

Genesis Sponsors Walk To Support SIDS Research

Davenport, IA – A baby dies during sleep.  In the absence of a cause of death, the cause is listed as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

As inexplicable as SIDS itself is the fact that Iowa has one of the highest rates of SIDS deaths in the country. Quad Cities babies who have died from SIDS will be memorialized on Aug. 27 at Scott County Park.

Proceeds from the 5K walk, which will be sponsored by Genesis Health System, will benefit the Iowa SIDS Foundation.

In 2002, Iowa had 0.99 SIDS deaths for every 1,000 live births. The national rate in 2002 was 0.55 deaths per 1,000 live births. State SIDS activists cite inconsistency among states in determining SIDS as the cause of death as a factor in Iowa’s high rate compared to other states.

One of the Quad Cities babies lost to SIDS was Elizabeth Atzen. Elizabeth, the 3 1/2-month old daughter of Genesis BirthCenter nurse Jenny Atzen, R.N., and her husband, Craig, died on Nov. 4, 2002.

“It’s a fundraising event for a horrible syndrome we still know very little about,” said Jenny Atzen about the upcoming walk. “No one really knows what causes SIDS. My baby was normal and healthy. I prayed and prayed that the autopsy would find something wrong with her but it didn’t.

“It’s worse not having any answers. You go through the rest of your life not knowing why it happened. SIDS is the cause of death when no other cause can be found.”

Registration for the Walk for the Future is $25. Registration will be held starting at 8:30 a.m. at the Whispering Pines shelter at Scott County Park in Long Grove, Iowa. Participants can pre-register online at http://www.iowasids.org/.

View more information on reducing the risk of SIDS.