For Bella and Grace
Our TTTS Survivors!
 Bella and Grace About The Foundation |
In May of 2006, we found out that our twin girls were in trouble. We were 17 weeks pregnant and went in for a routine ultrasound, and it was the day we were going to find out the sex of our babies. After the ultrasound, our doctor called us into her office and told us some bad news. Our girls possibly had TTTS and that we needed to see a high risk perinatologist. Four days later, the news got worse, the girls had TTTS and it didn't look good. Grace (our donor) had no amniotic fluid and no visible bladder. Bella, our recipient had excessive amounts of amniotic fluid and they were concerned about her heart. We were told that our girls had a 10% chance of survival and our first option was to terminate the pregnancy. Luckily, we found the TTTS Foundation website and talked to Mary, the founder of the TTTS Foundation personally on the phone. We worked with Mary to understand all our options. We knew in our hearts that termination was not one of those options. We started strict bed rest and protein drink therapy. We did two amnio reductions, but two weeks later, things looked worse. Bella was going into heart failure and our Perinatologist said if we didn't do the laser surgery right away, we would lose our babies. Before I even left the doctors office, I had spoken to Dr. De Lia, the pioneer of the laser surgery, directly on the phone, and by the time we got home, Mary and Dr. De Lia had us scheduled for surgery and our flights booked. The Foundation had taken care of all the details. We flew from Denver to Milwaukee for the surgery. The morning of the surgery, Dr. De Lia personally picked us up at our hotel room and drove us to the hospital. I was so scared to do the surgery and so scared of what our outcome would be, but Dr. De Lia was so kind and gave us so much hope. I felt very safe in his care. Both babies made it through the surgery and a week later we flew home. Once home, we had a long wait ahead of us which included strict bed rest. During the remainder of pregnancy, I was in constant contact with both Mary and Dr. De Lia. They were so important to me during this time for advice and encouragement. At 34 weeks we went into labor and delivered two healthy baby girls, Bella and Grace. They stayed in the NICU for 5 days and then came home with us. Our happy ending is a miracle story. We know that our girls are ultimately here because it was God's will but we also know that God led us to some amazing people that helped us keep our girls alive. Without the Foundation and the work of Dr. De Lia, our girls would not be here. We would not get to watch them dance or give each other kisses. We would have never known their sweet smiles and belly laughs. By helping the TTTS Foundation, you are helping save babies lives. And for all of you who personally know Bella and Grace it is a way of saying thank you to the people who helped us get them here so that they are ours to enjoy. God Bless, Stephanie and Matt Since 1989, The Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome Foundation has been solely dedicated to saving the lives of babies diagnosed with TTTS and helping, honoring and remembering all faced with this terrible disease. By sharing your love with us in such a meaningful way, babies will be saved and fighting TTTS will be kept a priority. Thank you for your donation and for making a difference in the lives of babies who desparately need us to care. Goal $1000.00
$1000.00
Goal $0 43% |
Thank you for doing all you can to help find a cure, I lost my boys Dustin and Darren in 2003 to TTTS..I am trying to help raise awareness with one of my friends who recently lost her girls too
- Rebecca
We love you Bella and Grace.
- The Hutchens
Thank you so much for all your support and help. You have truly made a difference. God bless Bella and Grace and all your family.
- Mary