Ally Brooke of Fifth Harmony "fought to survive" after she was born three months premature.
The 22 year old pop star has been dubbed the celebrity ambassador for March of Dimes, a charity devoted to supporting the health of mothers and babies.
November is prematurity birth awareness month and in honour of the occasion, Ally is speaking out about how grateful she is to be alive due to the medical care she received after being born at the close of her mother's second trimester.
“I’m actually a premature baby," she told TheCelebrityCafe.com. "I was 1lb 14oz. I totally fought to survive. My parents were right there all the way.
“I just know what it’s like to be fighting for your life, and I know my parents do too. So, I want to be able to help families like mine in their situations.”
Just before she was born, doctors predicted Ally's lungs would be underdeveloped, but they were wrong, as she was screaming her head off straight after birth.
Clearly Ally's vocals have developed even further now that she is a superstar musician and she wants parents of babies who are premature to know their children can also make it, despite facing tough odds.
“I very well could not be here right now,” she emphasised. “So I’m so grateful for every day I have, especially in living out my dreams. I want to be able to use this platform to be able to help other people, other babies like me. I want them to know they can do it and they can live out their dreams no matter their circumstances.”
Ally has over 2 million followers combined on her Instagram and Twitter accounts.
She is utilising her social media fan base to spread the word about premature births and the results have been remarkable so far.
“I encourage my fans to get involved whether it’s just educating yourself on premature birth or you can donate or volunteer," she explained. "All you have to do is go to marchofdimes.org.
“I’ve heard so many amazing stories and I’ve retweeted them. It’s really, really awesome to see people who have gone through what I’ve gone through, survived, and they’re healthy and happy today. They fought for a lot for life just like me, and I’m so happy for them. It’s awesome to be able to bring a community together like that. Those who weren’t born premature they know somebody who’s gone through that. They also encourage one another. I think it’s a beautiful thing.”
