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Before February 2012, I was familiar with March of Dimes, but had no idea of the profound impact the research and results this Organization is responsible for, would have on my family.

Knowing that identical twins are high risk, our pregnancy was watched very closely with weekly ultrasounds and extensive in uterine testing such as echocardiograms and kidney assessments. Both girls were growing quite well and the pregnancy was going as planned when at 26 weeks gestation, one twin, Claire, appeared to slow down significantly in growth progress.  

The doctors watched this very closely for two weeks until the situation appeared to turn dire at 28 weeks. At this time, the ultrasound indicated that Claire had a condition indicating she had lack of nutrients and oxygen at intermittent moments from her umbilical cord. We were immediately sent to Good Sam hospital where I would be on bedrest for the remainder of my pregnancy in hopes that the girls would get to at least 32 weeks gestation.

At the hospital, we were informed that Claire’s diagnosis results in stillbirth 25% of the time and that the girls would be monitored twice a day to assess breathing, lung activity, and heartrate activity. During the initial few days in the hospital, I received two steroid injections to help accelerate the girls’ lung development.  The expectation was that Claire would reach a point of stress which would indicate her chances of survival would be better outside of the womb than remaining in the womb. 

That situation occurred after 12 days in the hospital; the girls were delivered via emergency C-section at 29 weeks and 4 days on February 28, 2012. Emmy weighed 3.0 pounds and Claire weighed 2.0 pounds, spending 42 days and 57 days in the Good Sam NICU, respectively. The girls were on ventilators for the first 16 hours of life and both received Surfactant therapy during that time.  

Both Emmy and Claire developed a PDA, or an unclosed hole in their aorta, as a result of their prematurity. While Emmy’s closed on its own, Claire continued under cardiac care to follow the progress of hers in hopes it would also close on its own. Unfortunately it did not and Claire underwent cardiac catheter surgery at 18 months old to install a device in her heart to close the hole. 

The surgery was successful and today Claire is considered “cured”.

Today, Emmy and Claire are happy, healthy, energetic 3-year-olds that have amazing futures ahead of them.  

Had the girls not received life-saving Surfactant therapy, which was funded through a partnership with March of Dimes, the outcome could have been devastating.  Due to support and funding from March of Dimes supporters and donors, my hope is that all families that have to experience prematurity can have the same positive outcome.

Thank you, from our Family, for supporting the March of Dimes and giving every baby a fighting chance.