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Ashley

Ashley

Our daughter Ashley is a miracle! Thanks to all those involved in Angel’s care during her pregnancy, they both are with us today. Starting during her 12^th week of pregnancy, Angel was put on bedrest, given progesterone shots every Friday, had weekly doctor visits, was not allowed to stand but only for a quick shower once a week, had a cerclage sewn in, and a uterine ring placed - all to hold little baby Ashley in so she could grow. The day before Thanksgiving, Angel was admitted to UNC high-risk unit where she stayed until Ashley was born on December 1,2005. Her nurses on the 'waiting' and 'post' floor were wonderful....letting her borrow a laptop to keep in touch with friends. She also passed the time by making a candy wreathe for the nurses.

Ashley only weighed one pound 4 ounces and spent 4 long months at UNC. Every day, Angel, Ricky, and their daughter Katie made the 1.5hr trip to see Ashley. We look back now and really appreciate UNC, the technology, the nurses and doctors, the social workers, the receptionist, the cleaning team .... everyone working together helped our baby have a safe 'growing' time so that she could come home to us. Friday she will turn 2 years old. We are so thankful for our little bundle of joy!!!

Ricky and Angel Simmons
Hope Mills, NC

Charleigh

Charleigh

Cori, an 18 year-old from Yanceyville, and her boyfriend Rodney were pregnant with their first child. At Cori’s first ultrasound in October of 2005, they were told that their baby had a piece of her heart missing. While they waited for the doctor to come talk to them about what this meant, Cori started crying because she knew something was very wrong with her baby. The fetus was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, where the left side of the heart is underdeveloped, and they were referred to the Center for Maternal and Infant Health. Cori and Rodney talked with a cardiologist, who discussed their options: heart transplant, a series of surgeries, or termination of the pregnancy. Cori and Rodney decided that the surgeries were best for them.

Their beautiful baby girl Charleigh was born on March 3, 2006. She spent the first month of her life in the NICU at UNC. Cori and Rodney thought they were well prepared for what it would be like to have a baby in the NICU, but they were not. They don’t think anyone could ever be prepared. While Charleigh was in the hospital, the first stage of three heart surgeries was completed. When they took Charleigh home for the first time, they were terrified. There was no one there to help if something went wrong. Charleigh was feed through a feeding tube, which was hard to deal with at first.

At six months old, Charleigh returned to UNC for the second stage of her heart surgeries. This surgery went well, and Cori and Rodney were able to recently take Charleigh back home. This time, they were much better prepared to care for her at home, and were excited because she is much more active since the second surgery. Charleigh will have the third stage sometime before she turns three.

Throughout the process of learning about the fetal diagnosis, giving birth, and the follow-up care for Charleigh, Lori, a care coordinator with the Center for Maternal and Infant Health, was there to help Cori and Rodney. Lori coordinated appointments, offered support and gave tours of the NICU and PICU. These tours were great because Cori and Rodney were terrified of what it would be like after the baby was born. Seeing the places Charleigh would be helped a great deal. Lori followed the family with supportive phone calls and numerous visits while Charleigh was in the hospital. Cori and Rodney say that they don’t know what they would have done without Lori. Without her, the experience would have been a terrible one. Instead, it was better than they could have hoped for.

Cori says that the worst part of this process was seeing Charleigh after surgery and knowing how much pain she was in. It was also very difficult before surgery to see how tired she was because her heart was working so hard. The best part has been seeing Charleigh come alive after surgery. She has so much more energy and personality than she did before, and Cori and Rodney love seeing that. They are very grateful to Lori and the Center for the support and care they received!

Cori and Rodney
Yanceyville, NC

Miss NICU smiling in 2005 and still smiling two years later!

Makayla Kenzie

Makayla Kenzie

Kendra and I are so thankful for all that the UNC Maternal Fetal Medicine team did for us. Although we were faced with all the fear and uncertainty of a “twin-to-twin” pregnancy, we could not have asked for a finer team of physicians and specialists to be focused on our medical case. In our minds, we received not only the best medical care but, more importantly, the best sense of comfort and professionalism throughout our trying ordeal. Dr. Johnson and his team made us feel like we were their only patient during the five months of care.

Kendra and I are both in our early thirties and had been living in the Charlotte, North Carolina, for over ten years. We were so excited to find out that we were pregnant with our first child. Nineteen weeks into our pregnancy, Kendra had her first routine ultrasound to see the progression of development of our baby. During the scan, we were informed that we were having twins and that there were major complications with the type of pregnancy Kendra was having. As one can imagine this was a huge initial shock to the both of us. Not only did we find out that we were having twins, but at the same time we also had to face every expecting parents worst nightmare, being notified that there were severe complications with our pregnancy. As the technician continued to study the two fetuses, she quickly identified our pregnancy as a “twin-to-twin” with one fetus measuring about 17 weeks (Recipient) and the other developing at a rate that was several weeks behind (Donor). The more details we received, the bleaker the situation got. As most parents would do, we immediately ran to the internet for answers. This quickly became the wrong decision. Every website we went to described the worst scenarios about the disorder (risks, percentages of success, additional disorders and complications). Not one actually gave us a glimmer of hope or appropriate advice for our condition. This only added stress, fear and anxiety to our ordeal.

We were immediately rushed to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC and placed under the care of Dr. John Allbert. After several excruciating hours of ultrasounds and tests the “twin-to-twin” disorder was confirmed. We were informed that our chance for a successful twin pregnancy was below 10% and the success for a single pregnancy was not much better. We were then referred to one of the top fetal medical programs in the country at UNC Hospital’s Maternal Fetal Medicine program.

The next morning we were blessed with a phone call from Dr. Anthony Johnson , DO from UNC Hospitals. The calming tone of his voice and methodical line of questioning immediately gave Kendra and me the hope we were praying for. Shortly after our call we headed up to Raleigh for several rounds of tests. Dr. Johnson quickly determined that the Donor was not going to survive and fetal reduction was necessary for the Recipient to have any chance for survival. He spent countless hours carefully explaining our condition, options and risks in a manner that was extremely easy to understand. After several additional complications Kendra finally went into surgery to try to save one of our babies. After an hour or so of surgery, Kendra was in the recovery room and the surgery was soon deemed a success. The recipient baby would now be able to develop without being hindered by the former donor fetus.

It then became a waiting game, with the ultimate health of the surviving fetus still very much in question. At this point there was no way of telling how much damage, if any, was done to the recipient baby and if it would in fact survive. The most important goal was to carry the baby to 30 weeks, which would greatly increase our chances of a healthy baby. On January 23, 2005 (after 39 weeks) we were blessed with the birth of Makayla Kenzie Brunetti, a healthy 6 lb 4 oz baby girl.

I am not sure how special our medical story is from other UNC Maternal Fetal Health patients. What I am sure about though, is how gracious and thankful we are that Makayla was born a healthy little girl. We are just as grateful for being a part of the UNC MFM family. From the moment Dr. Johnson called we knew that we were fortunate to be in the path of one of the most experienced specialists in the world. His superior knowledge and experience aside, his bedside manner and ability to provide a calming influence were remarkable. With every explanation came competent assurances that gave us the comfort to make the appropriate decisions throughout the ordeal. He truly is our hero.

This level of professionalism did not stop with Dr. Johnson. The entire UNC Hospital staff was the most accommodating, thoughtful, generous and comforting medical professionals we have ever experienced. Karen Moise, RN took us under her wing from the beginning and provided us with an additional level of comfort. She ensured that the details of our frequent visits were addressed, followed up with weekly calls, and best of all, became a friend. Our entire experience was one that we wish we never forget. Even though there were many days of tears, hours of fear and months of uncertainty, the UNC experience was remarkable. In our mind there is not a better place for us to have gone through this most emotional trying ordeal. Because of this, we decided to donate the remains of the Donor fetus, the placenta and umbilical cords to the University for Research. We felt this was the least we could do to help find a cure for this awful disorder.

Our advice to anyone who is faced with a Maternal Fetal disorder is to first and foremost have faith and put faith in those who are best positioned to help. Through faith, strength and serenity are achieved. Second, do not read anything from the internet unless it is on a website that came recommended from Dr. Johnson. There is way too much misinformation out there that will cause you undue anxiety. Third, trust in Dr. Johnson and his team. Although there is no guarantee for a successful outcome, knowing you have the best medical professionals on your side gives you the best chance of success. Stay positive!

God Bless,

Kendra and Michael Brunetti
Fort Mill, SC

Landon and Brittan

Landon and Brittan

My husband and I struggled for three years to conceive a child. We tried fertility drugs, and three in-utero inseminations before finally doing in-vitro fertilization. We were extremely excited to find out that I was pregnant on our first try. We thought our struggles were behind us until I went in for my first ultrasound at six weeks of pregnancy. Our doctor informed us that I was carrying triplets, a singleton and a twin pregnancy, but that twins were in the same sac (mono-amniotic). We were referred to a high-risk obstetrician in Charleston, S.C.

At our first ultrasound in Charleston, around eight weeks of pregnancy, we were told that we had already lost one of the twins, which really hadn’t been mono-amniotic at all, each baby had been contained in a separate membrane. We were told that we should now have a normal pregnancy with two babies.

As we continued to have regular ultrasound appointments, our obstetrician noticed that the baby we had lost had a condition called TRAP (acardiac twin) and it continued to grow at a rate faster than the two remaining babies. He explained the dangers that this could impose on the entire pregnancy and referred us to Dr. Johnson at UNC.

Dr. Anthony Johnson explained the TRAP twin disorder. He explained to us that the pump twin would eventually have congenital heart failure since she was pumping blood for both her body and the acardiac twin. So I underwent two surgeries in Chapel Hill with Dr. Johnson during my 20th week of pregnancy to try and save the remaining two babies.

After the surgeries, our goal was to try and carry the babies as long as possible. We went for ultrasounds in Charleston (two ½ hours from our home) once a week. With each week that passed beyond 30 weeks we began to feel more confident. Finally, we delivered at 35 weeks. We brought our son, Landon, home after only five days in the hospital; Brittan, our daughter, who was the pump twin, came home after only nine days in the hospital. Both are currently doing fantastic.

We were so pleased with the entire UNC hospital system. Everyone we encountered was friendly and professional. Karen Moise is so thorough and caring. She made all the arrangements easy for us since we had a lot on our minds. We will always credit Dr. Johnson for allowing us to bring two beautiful babies home. It is evident when you have a conversation with him that he is truly passionate about his job. He doesn’t just treat you like a patient, but more like a friend.

During our ordeal, he gave us his cell phone number and told us to contact him at any time if we had any questions or concerns. I haven’t met many doctors willing to do that. If you have to have a surgery like this, you can feel confident knowing that he gives 110% to his patients, and that he is on the cutting edge of maternal-fetal procedures.

Kimberly and Jason Gross
Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Arturo

Una carta para mi querido...

Junio 03, 2005

Tu que estuviste en mi vientre por 7 meses. La alegria de saber que venias en camino. El sentir tus pataditas todo iba tan bien.

Tu padre y yo estabamos contentos porque ya venias en camino, claro tu hermano y familia.

Hasta que un dia nos dijeron que habia un problema en tu corazon y que no vas a sobrevivir por mucho tiempo.

Senti que el mundo se acababa, me quede helada. No sabia que hacer. Miraba para todos lados buscando respuestas que hasta hora, no he encontrado. Todo el tiempo me preguntaba, por que a mi? Por que a nosotros? Que habiamos hecho para merecernos esto. Donde quedaron nuestras lluciones, nuestros suenos, donde. Por que? Dios te queria a ti.

No lo entendia. Parecia como un laberinto sin salida.

Despues, naciste el ver tus ojos, tu cara, tu boca, tus manos, tus pies. Todo estaba perfecto, y me preguntaba una y otra vez, por que a nosotros? Hubiera de ver querido que fuera una pesadilla, pero no, te veia. Y me costaba trabajo pensar que te tenias que ir. Para siempre, y yo sin poder hacer nada. Solo esperar a que llegara la hora de que dias te llamara. Sentia impotencia. Al ver a tu padre abrasandote como diciendo, no te vayas, quedate. Sus ojos parecian mar, llenos de agua. Unos segundas mas te fuiste. Tu padre te abraso. Lloro y te dijo, te amo mi angelito que Dios te bendiga. Donde quiera que vayas, abrase tu cuerpo helado, tu cara y tu cuerpo color violeta, tus labios secos, y sin pulso. Senti que el mundo se nos venia encima, pero aunque no nos acostombramos al hecho de haberte perdido, solo sabemos una cosa que le agradecemos a Dios por darnos la bendicion de verte, conocido tenerte, y avernos dado un angelito. Y que aunque no estes con nosotros recuerdes que te amamos y que eres y seras nuestro hijo y nuestro angel.

Arturo Escamilla Frutos

Annabelle Cathleen

Annabelle Cathleen

We were so excited to start a family, and I’d been enjoying what I thought was the “perfect” pregnancy. At my first ultrasound, my husband and I discovered we were carrying “acardiac twins,” (also known as TRAP sequence, Twin Reversed Arterial Perfusion). It was the first inkling that we had twins, and already one was lost. When they explained that the remaining baby was also in danger, we were devastated. My heart just froze in fear.

Our doctor explained TRAP sequence and talked about our options. TRAP is when the body of the dead twin continues to be supported by the living twin. The living baby’s heart works hard enough for both bodies, circulating through a minute connection in the umbilical cords. The dead twin’s body no longer even resembles a baby, and becomes like a fast-growing tumor, often stressing the living twin to the point of heart failure.

Our doctor first described in-utero surgery that could be done by a specialist at the University of North Carolina (UNC). An electrical current or a laser could be used on the umbilical cord, to separate the living twin and free its heart from having to work so hard. Aaron and I looked at each other, thinking “no way, that’s pretty extreme… not us.” It really sounded like something out of science fiction.

Then our doctor discussed our remaining two options: terminate the pregnancy or “wait and see.” We asked a lot of questions, and it became clear that, without intervention, our baby’s chances were not at all good.

Suddenly, flying to a strange city and having an unusual-sounding operation sounded like a very good idea. We made the decision to do everything we could to give our baby the best possible chance of survival. We were on the phone with Dr. Tony Johnson from UNC the next afternoon, and booked a flight.

Though we hadn’t planned on finding out the sex, we wanted to know “who” we were rooting for. We had our names picked out already. Suddenly, as the doctor confirmed we were having a little girl, our Annabelle Cathleen became a very real person. And the focus of all our hopes and fears.

In the days leading up to the surgery, Annabelle kicked as though she were trying to reassure me. “Strong and healthy,” she seemed to be saying. “Hang in there,” I would tell her, explaining that help was coming. Talking to her helped me stay calm and reinforced the connection I felt to this tiny person inside me. Win or lose, I made the decision to love her with all my heart. After that, things felt simpler. My mantra was “every day that she’s inside me is a good day.” I spared as little time as possible on fear. It was always there, I just chose not to dwell on it, instead focusing on love.

Our experience at UNC was a whirlwind. We were very fortunate that my mother accompanied us. It helped to have both her and Aaron to help negotiate the stress of air travel, getting around in a strange city, and dealing with surgery. We stayed at “Ronald McDonald House” rates at a hotel with a shuttle to and from the hospital. We arrived a couple days beforehand and stayed a couple days afterward to give me a chance to recover a bit before boarding a plane again.

Dr. Johnson and all of the doctors, nurses and technicians we encountered at UNC were friendly, caring and reassuring. The hassles of checking in and registering for insurance were minimized as much as possible and we were treated like VIPs. Mostly, we appreciated Dr. Johnson’s willingness to answer all of our questions and talk us through the procedure in complete detail. We felt we knew what to expect at all times: before, during and after surgery.

The surgery itself was a breeze. We ended up having the more invasive electrical current, not the laser. Afterward, I only felt a little sore and bruised. Flying home was uncomfortable, but not unbearable. My scar is minimal, especially now that it’s surrounded by stretch marks!

Emotionally, I had the toughest time immediately following surgery. My biggest fear was going into labor prematurely and losing Annabelle after everything we’d gone through. I never even had so much as a contraction, thank goodness… but it was still a difficult time. To be honest, until we reached 34 weeks, we worried every single day. But the more our baby grew and matured, the more hope began to replace fear.

In the end, I carried Annabelle to 38 weeks: officially full term. She was born pink, crying and fully alert, with her daddy’s huge, dark eyes. It was an absolutely perfect, normal delivery. She never spent even a minute in intensive care, and we were home from the hospital within the standard two days.

Annabelle’s currently just over two months old. She’s beautiful and thriving. Motherhood is an absolute joy.

Sara and Aaron Stinski
(and Baby Annabelle Cathleen)
Madison, Wisconsin

Alijah

Colleen, a 22-year-old woman from Goldsboro, NC was referred to the UNC Center for Maternal and Infant Health after an ultrasound revealed her baby had gastroschisis (a congenital defect that causes the bowels to protrude the abdominal wall and free float in amniotic fluid). This was Colleen’s first pregnancy and she never imagined something like this could have happened to her.

She continued to receive ultrasounds and specialized care twice a week at UNC. Traveling from her home in Goldsboro to UNC was not always easy but she said she trusted the doctors and felt comfortable with Center staff.

On February 24, 2005 Alijah was born one month early. He spent two months in the Newborn Critical Care Center and a month in Pediatrics. Colleen was not even able to hold her baby boy for the first month while his bowels were slowly pushed back into to his abdomen.

Her Care Coordinator, Lisa helped coordinate all of her appointments with a team of specialty doctors and offered guidance and support throughout this difficult time. Colleen felt she would not have been able to arrange and attend all the appointments on her own. The coordination of her care was extremely helpful.

Just recently Colleen got to take her son home for the first time. From the smile on her son’s face you would never know he had had such a traumatic entry into the world. He is slowly gaining weight and doing well.

Colleen is grateful for the specialized and personalized care she received from the UNC Center for Maternal and Infant Health. It was a difficult experience but it was made easier with the support and assistance from her Care Coordinator and the expertise of her doctors.

Brandon and Bradley

While I was pregnant, from the time of diagnosis at 3 months to the time of the boys’ birth at 6 months seemed like an eternity. Now it is like a fog. During that time, your knowledge gave me hope. Intellectually, I understood the battle my boys were facing, but my heart would believe nothing but that those boys would make it. I know you did everything you could possibly do.

Because there were so many decisions and forks in the road, I now find myself wondering if I made the right decisions. The “what ifs” run through my head. It has been a battle to stop them. It has come down to the fact that each decision was made by hearing all the alternatives and then following my heart. I will always wonder if I should have reduced the pregnancy…if we had tried the laser a 2nd time… For each decision, I did what I had to do at that moment. I know you know all this and you deal with it regularly. You were always so professional yet I could see care, concern, and empathy. I know you hated to walk in the room and tell me something was not going right. I could see how hard it was for you.

Just a few weeks…what passes so quickly before and now, stood still then. I just wanted and needed a few weeks. Why could I have not had them? The boys’ lives here would have been filled with very difficult challenges and God knew that either I wanted something different or that I couldn’t handle it. From the beginning, I believed God had his hand on the situation and the outcome. Only God knows why and, in that, I have to trust. It just wasn’t meant to be.

The loss is hard. But I wanted to say thank you. Thank you for the hope, for the time to watch them grow, for the extra time in which I saw them suck their thumbs, have the hiccups, wave, kick each other, sit on the other one’s head, feel them roll and kick inside of me. I held two tiny but beautiful boys. Bradley, born second and with a heartbeat, wrapped his tiny hand around my finger. Some parents get less time, some more. You just appreciate so much each day you had.

Here is a quote I found which I dedicate to Brandon and Bradley “Imagine a love so strong that saying hello and goodbye in the same day was worth the sorrow.” (the author is unknown)

Excerpts from a letter written to Dr. Johnson by Patty Allred, mother to Brandon & Bradley and Maddison & Makala.

Megan & Morgan’s Story

We found out we were expecting twins at our ultrasound at 7 weeks. We were so thrilled but were informed that it was considered high-risk because they were identical. We were a little nervous but were very excited until our ultrasound at 18 weeks showed that we had Twin Twin Transfusion Syndrome, or TTTS. We were devastated and were told that if we didn't do anything that day they would not live through the week. One of the babies was already in heart failure. We went to see a physician to have a surgery done to save them, but he told us they were both severely brain damaged. We lost all hope and decided not to have the surgery done.

When we got back to our doctor, he did another ultrasound and saw nothing wrong with the babies’ brains. We were then referred to Dr. Anthony Johnson at UNC where we had an intervention done to save the life of one of our babies. It was the hardest decision that we ever had to make even though we felt like we had no other options. The doctors and staff at UNC were very compassionate and understood our situation well.

We carried both the babies until 37 weeks and delivered them on January 10th. Megan, our surviving twin, weighed 6 lbs. and was 18 ¾ inches long. Our little angel, Morgan, weighed 5 oz. and was 9 inches long. We miss her dearly but we are so thankful for her beautiful healthy sister. It was a bittersweet end to a difficult pregnancy. We hope that no one ever has to go through what we did. However, UNC treated us so well and has kept in touch with us to see how our little miracle is doing. It really means so much to us that there are doctors out there that really want to make a difference. Thank you UNC for bringing this bundle of JOY into our lives. To everyone else have faith that in the end we will get to hold our babies even if God gets to hold them first.

Rachel Christian

Seth Hos-ki

Seth Hos-ki

When we learned at our first ultrasound at 9 weeks that we were having twins, we were faced with fear and uncertainty, which continued throughout the whole pregnancy. At first, the doctors thought the babies were monoamniotic twins, which means they were sharing a sac and at greater risk for problmes. Later at the 12-week ultrasound, though, they found that they were in separate sacs. I was relieved! Unfortunately, the relief did not last long because at 20 weeks my stomach started to grow, I started to swell and become very uncomfortable. I went into my regular OB/GYN doctor and had an ultrasound. They discovered a little more fluid in one sac than the other so we scheduled a visit with the specialist for the next week. That is when it seemed to all be a blur because it happened so fast. We found that we had Twin Twin Transfusion Syndrome. One of the twins (the recipient) had an abundance of fluid and while the other twin was stuck with hardly any fluid. The doctor explained that we were at stage 4 and would have to go directly to laser surgery because draining the fluid and bed rest would not help.

We were immediately referred to Dr. Johnson at UNC. He called us that night at home and was able to see me the next day. He was very calming and explained all our options. He also gave me his cell phone number to call him with any other questions or concerns. It wasn't until the ultrasound at UNC we found out how dire the situation was. The donor twin was in heart failure and was not going to survive. So we needed to make a decision immediately because fetal reduction was needed in order to save the recipient twin who was also in danger. He was very sympathetic but wanted us to understand that time was of the essence so he quickly called and assembled his surgical team. We were at his office Rex Hospital, so he had us follow him to UNC for the surgery so we wouldn’t get lost. While following him, he called my husband and I on our cell phone to make sure that we understood our options and the risks since it was all happening so fast. After surgery, I was in the recovery room and started to have labor pains for a few hours. Fortunately, they were able to stop the labor with medicine.

Dr. Johnson said we would be able to tell the next day if the surgery had started to work or not because we would be able to see the if the recipient twin’s heart was better then the day before. At the ultrasound the next day I held my breath hoping for good news and we got it. The heart looked better than the day before. It then became a waiting game. The goal was to carry the baby to 32 weeks and we made it well past that luckily. On June 21, 2005 (after 39 weeks) we were blessed with the birth of Seth Hos-ki Curry, a healthy 6 lb 15 oz baby boy.

I knew from the moment we talked to Dr. Johnson that we were in good hands and this would all work out somehow because we were in the care of the most experienced specialist there is. He truly cared and was very comforting. He is Seth's Guardian Angel! The entire UNC Hospital staff was the most helpful, considerate, kind and comforting medical professionals I have ever experienced. Also, Karen Moise helped us from the beginning and provided us with an additional level of comfort. She made sure that I understood all of things we needed to do to go home and she also followed up with phone calls. Our entire experience was one that we will never forget and we will always be thankful to everyone who helped us and they will always be in our thoughts and prayers. Our advice to anyone who also has unfortunately suffered from a problem similar to ours is to call Dr. Johnson first. He is the best at what he does and we can attest to that. Although not all disorders can be corrected, if there is anything that can be done to help he will find a way.

Goldie Curry

Zackary

Zackary

It was a day like all other days. My mother-in-law and I went out to get groceries for the house. All day she told me that I was pregnant. Like any 26 year old I told her "oh no I am not, I can't be". I had been having a problem ovulating. It took me 7 years to ovulate. Then on December 19, 2005 I went and got a pregnancy test and it turned out she was right! I went downstairs and told David my husband that his mother is a genius.

We went to the doctors and he said that I was further along then I said I was. Turns out I was right - I was pregnant with identical twins boys. Unfortunately, I also had a condition called twin to twin transfusion (TTTS). Zackary Adam was our baby who was the donor and Adam Michael was the receiver. There is not a lot of info on TTTS.

So David and I were off to see Dr. Johnson. He is the specialist in high risk pregnancy (A great man at that too). He told us all about TTTS. I had seen a show about TTTS on the Discovery health channel. I had lots of ultrasounds.

We found out that (baby A) Zackary was stuck in a sac with almost no room to move, while Adam (baby B) had lots of room to move around. Baby A was anemic and they did not think he was going to make it. Then a miracle happened - (baby A) Zackary becomes unstuck and things started to look better for him.

Well no such luck. The symptoms had did a turn around again. There are only 7 cases of this happing in the world and now I am the eighth. Dr. Johnson really did not know what was going to happen. So it was a waiting game. But we finally got to a point when we could not wait any longer. Baby A was going into heart failure and baby B was anemic and was getting very ill.

So on February 23, 2005 we were off to do the laser procedure to separate the twin's blood vessels. If it was to work we would see an improvement by the next day. We did not :-( And so we got the sad news from Dr. Johnson the next day that Adam would not likely live, and if we wanted to save Zackary, we would have to have surgery quickly and would lose Adam. That day I will tell you was the saddest day of my life.

After the surgery I was cleared to go home and was put on bed rest the remainder of the pregnancy. We still had lots of ultrasounds. We were to try to make it to 32 weeks but on Sunday April 24, 2005 Zackary Adam was born at UNC Hospital at 9:30 p.m. He was 2 lb. 9 oz. He was so small. Not like his big brother Joshua LeeAllin who is 8 years old and weighed 8 lb. 14.5 oz. when he was born.

Today Zackary is doing well and he and his big brother Joshua are like two peas in a pod. They love each other so much.

So to all the moms and dads that are going though something of the same thing it is hard and you may be sad, but there are people there to help and be there for you.

I would love to give thanks to the ladies in the Newborn Critical Care Center, Dr. Johnson, Abbey and Tony in ultrasound, Dr. Strauss, and my loving family that where there to help me though it.

So this is my family and this is my story. It was a sad story but we are a happy family.

Elisa and David Sittman

Brenden

Brenden

It was around the end of July 2005 when we visited Tanya's OB/GYN to learn the sex of our much anticipated baby. It turned out that we would be having a boy - Brenden. Unfortunately, that day also marked the beginning of a truly long and worrisome remaining pregnancy.

The doctor discovered what appeared to be fluid collecting in the baby's chest cavity. Very alarmed we visited a perinatologist in Richmond, Virginia the next day. Dr. Head saw us and confirmed diagnosis of a pleural effusion. Over the next couple of weeks she tried to alleviate the fluid with what they called serial taps.

When the fluid persistently recurred, we were referred to UNC; specifically to Dr. Johnson. Our experiences there were phenomenal. Dr. Johnson and his compliment of staff treated Tanya's pregnancy with amazing care. Several visits to UNC Medical Center as well as Rex Hospital ensued throughout August and some of September.

Dr. Johnson developed a plan for each visit that included options A, B, and C to be performed in that order of preference. On our second to last visit, Brenden was positioned well to insert a shunt in his chest to keep the fluid off. During the following visit, Dr. Johnson worked to ensure the shunt maintained as much usability as possible.

We were originally given fairly dismal and uncertain outcomes that could result from this condition; one that to this day has an undetermined root cause. However, we are absolutely elated to report that through the help of Dr. Johnson, the UNC staff, and Dr. Head in Richmond, Brenden was delivered by c-section on December 7, 2005 a very happy and healthy baby boy.

Because the procedures were remarkable successful, we were able to have Brenden born near home at Chippenham Hospital in Richmond, Virginia. While he was whisked off to the NICU as a precaution, there was virtually no fluid remaining from the pleural effusion. The little fluid that remained was completely absorbed by his body within the first month.

Our sincerest thanks and gratitude go to the UNC Center for Maternal and Infant Health. We are absolutely confident that without their help and expertise and the amazing gift Dr. Anthony Johnson provided, Brenden would not be here today.

Tanya and Jeff
Midlothian, VA

Lela Mae

My daughter Lela was born in UNC hospital on August 26, 2007. She was 10 weeks premature she looked like a little porcelain doll. I was so scared to touch her she had so many tubes coming out of her. When I first saw her I became overcome with emotion. We were told that she may not make it and if she did she would have severe health and development problems. I am so pleased to say that Lela is doing great. She is perfectly healthy and off all medications. She is about to celebrate her second birthday next month. The staff at UNC fell in love with her and always told me to keep in touch though I never had time but I do now. Thank you so much for taking such great care of my special little miracle. She now has a little sister named Lauren and they are the best of friends. Lela is constantly on the go and never slows down. She went from being less than 2 pounds and under 10 inches to my big healthy girl. I am so thankful to the NCCC staff for that without you she would not be in my life today.

Patricia McKay

Lela Mae in the NICU	Lela Mae at home