March of Dimes miracle baby born 3 months premature grows up with desire to help children

TAMPA, Fla. - FOX 13 has been proud to support the March of Dimes for more than 30 years and is thrilled to watch children who benefited from its life-saving research grow up and give back to the organization.

For years, Ryleigh Butz and been the poster child for the March of Dimes, even serving as the ambassador in 2011. That was when FOX 13’s Laura Moody first met the gymnastics-loving 10-year-old. It was the beginning of her life in the spotlight.

Ryleigh, who is now 18, and her family have joined FOX 13 every March for Babies Walk.

"I really love it," Ryleigh said. "I like that I can make a difference like that and show other families that have any premature babies or sick babies that, like, it is possible. Just trust God and trust his process. It's going to happen how it should."

Join FOX 13 for the March of Dimes March for Babies

Ryleigh is a senior at Durant High School and while she no longer does gymnastics, she’s got a lot going on.

"I'm on the track and field team, and I'm also the lacrosse manager for the girl’s team," Ryleigh explained. "I've joined a lot of new clubs since I started gymnastics and I actually have time to do stuff."

Looking at her now, you'd never know she was a preemie born three months early, weighing just over two pounds and small enough to fit in the palm of her dad's hand.

READ: March of Dimes: 'Karter Cause' collects hand-kitted Octopi to handout to NICU families

It all led her to her calling.

"I'm on the pre-physician assistant track to be a PA hopefully in the next year. That's my goal," said Ryleigh. "Either that or pediatric E.R. I want to make a difference in people's lives like those doctors did in my life. But I've always also enjoyed being around kids and babies and I work with kids now and love it."

Ryleigh is going to Auburn University in the fall. She recently started volunteering at Brandon Hospital, and she's excited to help in its NICU.

READ: Parents of ‘miracle baby’ give back to the March of Dimes

Her family is close-knit. Together with dad Cory and mom Missy, the Butz family has raised more than $215,000 for the March of Dimes. It saved all of them and leaving for college is going to be hard.

"We're all very close. We're family. Things are huge. All of us, like, my brother and sister do sports, and we're always together. We all go to the sports. We all sit down for family dinners. So, I think it's, it's going to be a big thing to all be apart," Ryleigh explained.

But family and faith have given her a firm foundation, and she knows exactly who she is.

READ: Bay Area family credits faith and March of Dimes' research for saving their daughter's life

"I don't really know what changed inside me to, like, break out and try new things. But, like, now, I'm the person to go up to someone and talk to them instead of waiting for them to talk to me, which I think is huge because I would never have done that when I was little. But I’m just super proud of myself and I feel like I’ve grown so much," Ryleigh said.

She's a March of Dimes miracle and with any luck, she'll be in a position to pay it forward many times over.

The March for Babies is this weekend in Hillsborough County.

Click here for more information and to register.

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