Help is needed to offset the costs of certain treatments, therapy and medical expenses for the triplets that are not covered by insurance. If you wish to donate and help out please use the link above to make your donation safely, and securely through PayPal.
|
|
|
|
 | | Zakary, Matthew, Tyler |
Special Parents for Special Kids
by Dawn Moeller (from The Triplet Connection Quarterly, 2005)
As I lay on the operating table with all the commotion around me, I kept asking my husband, "Are they here yet?" Amongst all the voices, I vaguely heard the faint squeak coming from my new babies. They were born, but I did not see them. I turned to the left and saw a team of doctors and nurses hovering over "Baby A." He was kicking and screaming as he was being poked and prodded. I kept thinking about how small he was and how faint his cry was. Before I knew it, they wheeled him out of the room.
I had envisioned my whole childbirth experience very differently. April 23rd, 2004 started out badly as I lay in the hospital with my magnesium IV, my terbuteline, heparin and morphine shots, and my contractions would just not go away. My perinatologist, whom I had grown so attached to, was leaving for vacation that day, and we had all hoped I could hold off for just one more week.
But I didn't. At 12:31, 12:32, and 12:33 a.m. on August 24th, Zakary (3-6), Tyler (2-11), and Matthew (3-11) came into the world. Tyler was not breathing at birth, but was quickly stabilized and whisked to the NICU. Matthew was also intubated the day after his birth, but all three babies were very stable by the third day of their lives.
A few days later we got the news that there was something "slightly abnormal" on Tyler's routine brain ultrasound. We were told that this is fairly common, and "not to worry about it." So we didn't.
A week later, we were definitely not prepared to hear the news that our little Tyler had what is called PVL (Periventricular Leukomalacia). As the NICU doctor stood there telling my husband and I that our little baby might not walk or talk and could have cognitive problems, I felt numb. As I picked up my innocent little boy and stared into his face, the guilt and sadness welled in every inch of my body. I embraced my husband as tears streamed down our faces. It was the first time I had ever seen him cry in our three years of marriage.
The news intensified a few days later when we were informed that Zakary had the same thing. PVL is not genetic, so even though Zakary and Tyler are identical, it did not mean they would both have PVL — but they do.
What does all this mean? PVL causes cysts around the ventricles of the brain. Zakary and Tyler each have many cysts on both sides of their brains. This typically leads to children developing cerebral palsy. Nobody knows for certain how Zakary and Tyler will grow and develop. They could be fine, or they could be in wheelchairs for their whole lives. We just have to "wait and see." Currently, they receive physical therapy, hyperbaric oxygen treatments, and lots and lots of prayers.
Everyone keeps telling my husband and I that we are "special," and God only gives "special" kids to "special" parents. But it is very difficult, sometimes, to feel "special." Every day as I hold my precious little babies, I think about all the struggles they may someday have. I think of their world surrounded by therapies to get them to do all the tasks that we take for granted, while their peers are playing at the park. I also think of Matthew not getting enough attention because we are always consumed with Tyler and Zakary.
I do believe that God only gives us what we can handle, and I know we will get through and do all we can for each one of our very, very special children. I feel blessed when I look at each one of them every day, and I smile. When I look at them and they smile back at me, it brings tears to my eyes and I forget the sleepless nights, the endless colic, and the obstacles our little family will overcome together. I thank God every day for my three precious babies, and for making me a "special" mommy.
Dawn Moeller
Bloomingdale, NJ.
|
|
