Sierra and Tim are thankful for your part in helping their baby girls survive.
Sierra says, “Your support of Mater Little Miracles means absolutely everything to the patients, it’s something that can never be underestimated—the difference you are making.
And I would like to thank each one of you individually because you make it all possible”.
When Sierra went into premature labour with twins, she was only 22 weeks and 5 days gestation. That’s almost 18 weeks too early.
“With medical intervention, I held on until we got to 23 weeks and 1 day.
The discussions that you have at 22 weeks and 5 days, are different to the discussions you have at 23 weeks and 1 day,” recalls Sierra.
“We suddenly had the choice. We had a chance.”
Sierra discovered early in her pregnancy that her twins had twin to twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS).
TTTS is a rare condition that affects approximately 10 per cent of identical twins that share a single placenta and is caused by an imbalance of blood flow from the donor twin to the recipient twin. Left untreated TTTS can cause serious health conditions, including infant loss.
Evelyn (Evie) was born first weighing a tiny 526g. Genevieve (Gen), was born, weighing just 470g. Sierra felt bewildered.
“When I went into the birth suites I had pretty low hopes. You can’t expect to walk out with a baby. And the fact that I did was an absolute miracle. And the fact that I walked out with two, is even more of a miracle.”
Gen called Mater’s Neonatal Critical Care Unit home for 111 days and Evie 150 days.
Unfortunately, Evie had a brain bleed diagnosed at around two weeks, which can lead to issues like Cerebral Palsy and other physical limitations when she is older.
Sierra and Tim have focused on early intervention and worked with Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, as well as attending training sessions about how to help Evie daily.
“Now when we see her moving in similar ways to her sister, we know that she’s a miracle—and she’s done her homework to get on top of these things. It’s wonderful.”
Big W stores across the country are launching their annual fundraising campaign this month to support seriously ill and premature babies at Mater, like Gen and Evie.
Big W staff will be selling $2 token and collecting donations in store in support of Mater Little Miracles.
We want to thank the Big W teams and their customers for their ongoing support.
