Cindy DiFazio - Staff Writer

Travis Benning, at two years old, loves to tell knock-knock jokes. “Knock, knock,” he says, mischievous grin filling up half his little face. Who’s there? “Boo!” Travis booms in his biggest voice. Boo who? “Why are you crying?” Travis chortles, laughing uproariously at his own joke. This sequence is to be repeated many times over the course of the interview.

Travis’ mom, Terry Benning, reveals that recently when Travis was in the hospital, the staff at the “PICU” (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) where Travis was recovering from his latest surgery told him knock-knock jokes all the time, even bringing a book of jokes to his bedside.

Travis was born with Spina Bifida with hydrocephalus. He is no stranger to doctors and hospital stays. In March, Travis was rushed to the hospital in Indianapolis. He had an infection in his stomach-incision that had infected the shunt tract going to his brain. It required surgery to insert a new shunt. This hospital stay was ten days.

Travis’ first day of life was spent in surgeries to close his spine and insert the first in a series of shunts in his head. He has undergone a total of eight surgeries and five hospitalizations in his first 24 months.
Travis is the son of Terry and Brian Benning. Brother, Sean (16), is a sophomore at South Ripley who plans to go into the armed services after graduation. Ethan (13), is in 7th grade and lives to play baseball. Trevor (4) will begin his first year of t-ball this spring. Travis, the youngest in this busy family, practices his t-ball skills in the backyard from his gait-trainer, and enjoys playing on the trampoline with his siblings. His mom reflects, “He’s just another kid who doesn’t grow up as fast.”

For the second year in a row, the Bennings are a March of Dimes Ambassador family. They will take part in the Indiana Chapter Walk America 2006 event in Batesville on Sunday, May 7. Registration for the event is at noon with the walk beginning at 1:00 p.m. As of this writing, 33 people have signed up to walk with “Team Travis” at Liberty Park.

The Bennings have first-hand knowledge of what the March of Dimes and other agencies can do to help families with overwhelming medical needs. Travis requires occupational, physical and developmental therapies. He is unable to dress himself and cannot walk yet. Much of the equipment needed to help Travis learn to walk is quite expensive. His gait trainer, similar to a baby walker, cost more than $2,000. The Bennings are in the process of obtaining a Dynamic Stander for Travis which will help straighten his legs. It also has wheels that he can turn with his hands to assist him to walk. There are intravenous antibiotics to administer following very costly surgeries. The list of expenses just goes on and on.

It is the existence and continuing support of agencies such as the March of Dimes that allows families of kids like Travis to concentrate on the child’s health and well-being rather than the monetary cost.
This year the March of Dimes WalkAmerica will focus on premature births. According to March of Dimes literature, each year 11,184 babies are born prematurely in Indiana. That means one in eight babies in Indiana will be born too soon. Between 1993 and 2003, the rate of infants born pre-term in Indiana increased more than 20%.

Premature babies have a high risk of being born with significant birth defects, respiratory problems, heart and circulatory problems, and can face multiple surgeries and considerable developmental delays.
Donations to the March of Dimes will be used to fund scientific research into the causes and treatments for pre-term labor. The March of Dimes provides services and education to pregnant women and their healthcare providers. They work with local, state and national governments to help ensure that babies and families have access to the healthcare they need.

This fall, Travis Benning will attend regular preschool. For most families, although an exciting rite of childhood, starting preschool would not be considered extraordinary. For the Bennings however, it’s a milestone that would have been next to impossible without the help of organizations such as the March of Dimes. Everything from transportation to the expensive medical equipment and treatments that Travis requires are provided by these organizations.

For more information about the March of Dimes WalkAmerica or to sign up to join the walk or donate, call 1-800-BIG-WALK or visit walkamerica.org.