Uniontown family named March of Dimes Ambassador Family
Hunter DeMichelis, now 12, was born too early. Much too early.
First-time parents Brandon and Marissa DeMichelis of Uniontown were eagerly awaiting Hunter’s Sept. 20, 2011, due date. But at 24 weeks, the pregnancy became complicated.
On June 4, Marissa was rushed to the hospital and then flown by medical helicopter to Magee-Women’s Hospital, where Hunter was born via emergency C-section, weighing 1 pound, 10 ounces (for perspective: pregnancies typically last around 40 weeks, and births before 37 weeks are considered “preterm”).
“He wasn’t expected to make it through the night,” said Hunter’s mother, Marissa.
At 10 days old, Hunter’s stomach perforated and he became septic. Doctors performed emergency surgery, removing half of his tiny stomach. They consulted with specialists worldwide to figure out how to feed him.
Hunter spent the first nearly five months of his life in the neonatal intensive care – he had Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) during his time there and underwent 10 surgeries within an eight-week span before being discharged on Halloween.
“He’s a miracle. He’s lucky to be here with us,” said Sharon Mutnansky, Hunter’s grandmother.
Today, Hunter is a sixth-grader at Laurel Highlands Middle School, and he enjoys camping, riding his ATV, and playing Fortnite.
Hunter and his family have been selected as the March of Dimes’ 2024 Ambassador Family for Western and Central Pennsylvania. They will participate in the March of Dimes March for Babies: A Mother of a Movement on Sunday, April 14, in Pittsburgh.
Funds raised by March for Babies events support research and other programs to prevent preterm birth, birth defects, and infant mortality.
The research and development of two of the therapies used to help Hunter’s underdeveloped lungs breathe easier was funded by March of Dimes. Since the development of the therapies – surfactant therapy and nitric oxide – two-thirds of babies who would have died from respiratory distress syndrome now survive early birth, according to the March of Dimes.
In its most recent annual report card on maternal and infant health, March of Dimes gave the United States a D+ for its high preterm birth rate. Overall, 10.4% of all babies (about 1 in 10) born in the U.S. were preterm in 2022, a slight improvement from the 10.5% rate in 2021.
Pennsylvania received a C+ rating, with a preterm birth rate of 9.6%
Babies who survive an early birth may face long-term health challenges.
Hunter’s preterm birth has left him with some long-term health effects. He has auditory neuropathy and wears hearing aids (his mom said Hunter thinks they’re “super cool” because they connect through bluetooth to his iPad), and he wears glasses because of Retinopaty of Prematurity (ROP).
And, noted Mutnansky, he often gets infections more easily.
“Otherwise, he is a healthy little boy. We know things could have been much worse, and are so thankful to have him here and healthy with us today,” said Marissa.
Hunter’s journey was not the family’s first encounter with premature birth.
A year-and-a-half before Hunter was born, Mutnansky’s oldest daughter, Nicole – Marissa’s older sister – lost a child, Breann, who was born at 20 weeks.
“For me to watch my daughters go through that was awful. I watched one daughter bury her baby, I did not want to lose another one,” said Mutnansky. “We’re raising money for March of Dimes because of the important research they do. March of Dimes is dear to my heart. They came up with the drugs that saved Hunter’s life.”
Hunter served for two years in a row as March of Dimes Ambassador for Fayette County. The family was delighted when they were notified they were selected as the Ambassador Family for Western and Central Pennsylvania.
Hunter’s cousins – Nicole’s 10-year-old twin daughters, Brylea and Kaylee Walkos – also were born prematurely, at 35 weeks.
When Hunter and his family walk in the March for Babies, presented by UPMC and UPMC Health Plan, they will be joined by more than 3,000 people walking in honor and memory of premature babies to raise awareness and funds to find solutions to end preterm births and death.
Their goal is to raise $10,000 for March of Dimes.
“I’ve seen it from both sides, with Hunter surviving and my granddaughter who passed away. I’ve got three miracles, with Hunter and the girls. It’s an emotional roller-coaster. When we see someone going through it, it’s heartbreaking because it brings back everything that Hunter and my daughter (Nicole) went through,” said Mutnansky. “That’s why it means so much to me. We try the best we can to prevent this. We don’t want other babies and their parents to go through that, so we’ll do everything we can.”
To donate to the March of Dimes March of Babies: A Mother of a Movement, visit
https://www.marchforbabies.org/Fundraising/Team?teamId=574576&teamEventId=3004325&%27/.