Thanks to research funded by March of Dimes, biomarkers in maternal blood have been identified that could accurately identify pregnant women who are at risk of delivering babies prematurely. The blood test could also estimate gestational age or delivery date with accuracy that is comparable to that of an ultrasound. This finding is important as doctors do not currently have ways to accurately assess which pregnancies will end with a premature birth, March of Dimes notes.

In July 2010, Tonya went in for her annual exam and mammogram, never expecting that shortly after, she’d be diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin's Lymphoma. “My mammogram showed swelling in my left lymph node,” she said. “But I wasn’t feeling sick or feeling bad.” Later, the doctors tried to do a biopsy but there was too much blood flow, so she had a biopsy done surgically, after which she got her lymphoma diagnosis. Now cancer-free, the 53-year-old, who is married with three adult children and one granddaughter, is a huge advocate for preventative exams, urging her friends and family to make sure they stay on top of mammograms, pap smears, colonoscopies and other tests, because her routine appointment is where they were able to catch her blood cancer.