After having two normal and healthy pregnancies, Jill Corley said she never expected to have any problems with her third.

But the Niles woman’s third child, a girl named Katarina, was born in 2006 with spina bifida, a birth defect that happens when a baby’s spinal column does not close all the way.

Spina bifida can cause a number of issues in children, like problems with walking and going to the bathroom.

The news that their child would not be born perfectly healthy came as a shock to Jill and her husband, Nick.

“It really can happen to anyone,” Jill said. “You just don’t know.”

Eight years later, Jill said she is happy to report that her daughter is an active, smart, funny eight-year-old girl.

The Corley family is serving as the ambassador family for the Michiana March for Babies, a March of Dimes event that occurs May 16 at Four Winds Field in South Bend.

Their goal is to spread awareness and raise money for the March of Dimes organization, which supports programs that help local moms have healthy, full-term pregnancies.

Jill said her family has been walking in the March for Babies since 2006, when she was pregnant with Katarina, but before finding out their daughter had spina bifida.

“We were very lucky,” Jill said. “Katarina may not be why I started walking and volunteering for the March of Dimes, but she is absolutely the reason why I continue to do the walk every year.”

Jill said she found support on the March of Dimes website, shareyourstory.org, a place where parents of children born prematurely or with defects can go to share their story.

“It is an amazing support system,” she said.

Last year, the Corley family team “Katarina’s Krew” raised more than $5,000 during the March for Babies event.

People can donate to their team online at: marchforbabies.org/team/katarinaskrew.

Ambassador families play a vital role in March of Dimes efforts to help give babies a healthy start. Working with March of Dimes chapters, Ambassador families like the Corleys share their story in their community in an effort to raise awareness of March of Dimes and its mission.