Luke and Evan's Story 

Suzanne and Dan were thrilled when their twin boys – Luke and Evan – were born two-and-a-half months early.  The odds, after all, had them coming much sooner … or not at all.

“My interpretation was that there was no chance for Luke to make it to 24 weeks (of gestation),” Dan says.

The first hint of that bad news came during a routine ultrasound at 16 weeks, when a marked size difference between the twins was noted. 

Three weeks later, the couple was at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville for another ultrasound.

“We went worried, but then we got the ‘gloom and doom,’” Suzanne says, remembering that they were told Evan was fine, but Luke wasn’t receiving nutrients.  “They didn’t think Luke had much of a chance.  And if we lost him, then we could lose both.”

The actual diagnosis was placental insufficiency.  The pregnancy had to be monitored closely; Suzanne and Dan traveled to Danville every two weeks at first, then every week.  At the 24-week appointment, they toured the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Geisinger’s Janet Weis Children’s Hospital.

“It can be shocking for families to tour the NICU,” says Dr. James Cook, director of neonatology at Janet Weis Children’s Hospital.  “There is lots of technology to help these babies.  It’s also one thing to hear how small babies in the NICU can be, but it’s another thing to actually see them.”

While the tour helped to educate Suzanne and Dan, a Children’s Miracle Network-funded book continued that education.

“The book summarizes what parents can expect in the NICU.  It reviews terms they might hear and prepares them for what they will go through,” Dr. Cook says.

Even with that preparation and education, Suzanne and Dan remained hopeful that their babies would continue to grow – but they also knew that the odds seemed to be against a happy outcome.

“The scenarios were that we would either lose one, lose both or have two children with severe disabilities,” Suzanne says.  “We both thought, ‘whatever happens, we’ll deal with,’ because there was nothing we could do.” 

As the weekly ultrasounds continued, they knew there would be a point where they would have to stay, when they were told their twins would be born “today.”  With each visit, their babies had a better chance of survival.

“We would hold our breath until they heard the heartbeat and saw the blood flow,” Suzanne says.  “We tried not to predict when they would be born because we knew we couldn’t.”

The expectant parents were praying that their twins would make it to 28 weeks – so when they went for the 30-week appointment, both were feeling relatively confident, even with the uncertainty still facing them. 

That appointment turned into the “today” they were waiting for. 

The first half of the ordeal was coming to an end, but the second half – building up the strength of their newborn sons – was just beginning.  The twins immediately were admitted to Janet Weis Children’s Hospital’s NICU, Evan weighing just over 3 pounds, and Luke weighing less than 2½ pounds.

“Everybody anticipates a pregnancy is going to be nine months of bliss and a lot of joy, and it can be nine months of a lot of nerves, then pure terror when the babies are born,” says Dr. Lela Brink, the Geisinger pediatrician who treats Luke and Evan.

Fortunately, the parents felt as prepared as possible, and knew what to expect from the experience.

“We knew we were going to be there, that we weren’t taking babies home right away,” Suzanne says, “and they did a great job of preparing us.”

“In some ways, you can’t help but feel a little lucky,” Dan says, noting that the 30-week point for them actually was a relief because they knew the boys would be premature.  “There were families there who were going through much harder times.”

Both Luke and Evan were getting stronger, but it was a slow process.  Even holding the twins – something that had to wait until they were a couple days’ old – was an experience.

“We were allowed to hold them once a day, and they were hooked up to all the monitors,” Suzanne remembers.  “When we would change their diapers, we’d have to change them through the armholes of the isolettes.”

Older brother Jackson remembers visiting his siblings in the NICU as well, and knew that the “boxes” they were in were helping them grow.

Dr. Brink also was able to see the twins on a day she was working at the children’s hospital.

“I’ll never be surprised by what happens in medicine,” Dr. Brink says.  “I remember seeing them in the isolettes in the ‘feeder and grower’ area, and everything seemed to be going well.”

After five weeks, Evan was able to come home, and the couple continued to travel to see Luke, who still required additional care.  Only two weeks later, however, Luke was able to come home and join the rest of his family.

It was an emotional time for the family – exciting, but bittersweet.

“When I left and they were still there, it was emotional because we were leaving without babies, but when they left the NICU, I cried again,” Suzanne says, recalling how close they had become with the caregivers at the children’s hospital.  “It had been such a large part of our life for so many months.”

Today, the twins are doing well – which still seems unbelievable to many, considering the long road they’ve traveled.  And their parents are incredibly grateful for the outcome.

“We were prepared for the worst, so what we got was beyond our wildest dreams,” Suzanne says.

Luke and Evan was featured during the 2008 Celebration broadcast May 31 and June 1 on WTAJ.