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Miracle identical twins
Experimental surgery, prayer help save 3-year-olds given little chance of surviving
James Nix / jnix@independenttribune.com
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Published: December 17, 2008
The story of Talitha McGuiness and her husband, Lee, was featured in the December issue of "Ladies Home Journal" as well as an edition of "Wilson's World" on My Fox Charlotte on WCCB-TV in Charlotte.
Talitha, 30, tells the story of how three years ago she gave birth to identical twins given a small chance of surviving the pregnancy.
During an ultrasound at 14 weeks, a growth difference in the twins appeared. One baby was larger than the other.
"It's pretty normal for twins that one is larger than the other, but there was a risk of TTTS because of the multiples, and my doctor wanted me to see a specialist," Talitha, a Kannapolis resident, recalls. Twin-to-twin syndrome (TTTS) is a disorder that affects 1 in 1,000 identical twins.
TTTS occurs when faulty blood vessels in the placenta allow one twin to take blood from the other, which creates life-threatening complications.
One twin becomes the "recipient" and has an increased blood supply, which may overwork the heart and kidneys and lead to congestive heart failure. The other is the "donor" and can lose so much blood that heart failure can happen.
It appeared as if the donor twin had been "shrink wrapped," Talitha said, with hardly any amniotic fluid in the sac.
Talitha was sent to a specialist at Carolinas Medical Center Women's Institute, who confirmed early stages of TTTS and laid out the three options Talitha and Lee would have to abort both babies; sacrifice the smaller twin with the hope it would save the larger one; or, undergo a new experimental treatment. The laser surgery would close off the three blood vessels they shared and would redistribute the blood evenly between them.
This is where faith steps into the story. Talitha said she hadn't really been to church often since going off to college, so that wasn't the first place she turned. But her sister was a member of Charity Baptist Church in Kannapolis and had been praying for the babies since the trouble started.
She asked if Talitha and her husband would come down so the congregation could pray over her. It was strange for her at first, being the center of attention, but she began to feel at ease, and peace seemed to wash over her.
After that, she said she came to terms with what was happening to her babies and realized with the help of her Mom that these were "God's gift" and that he had his reasons. Talitha gave the babies over to "God's will" and prayed for peace with whatever happened, but then she focused on what she could do to help the twins.
They decided on the laser surgery and found in Tampa, Fla., a surgeon with the highest success rate. The long drive to Dr. Ruben Quintero, a world-renowned fetal surgeon, on the Sunday before the surgery really exhausted her, Talitha remembered.
The following morning, during the two-hour ultrasound to map out the surgery, they discovered she was in labor. "They had me on belts and the monitors to watch the contractions," Talitha remembers. Fortunately, she said, they were able to stop the labor, and the surgery could happen and was successful which the ultrasound showed immediately.
The ultrasounds were more frequent after that, about every two weeks, and each one showing the babies thriving and growing. She made it to 36 weeks, which is a safe time to deliver the twins, with a bit of drama attached.
One of the twins was a breech. While the first one delivered normally, the second had cracked Talitha's tailbone on the push out, but she had two beautiful, healthy girls, Ella being the biggest at 4.10 ounces and Caelie being slightly smaller at 4.4 ounces. Not only were they born at a healthy weight, they went home without needing monitors, unlike some twins.
At 3 years old and full of charm and energy, it's hard to imagine there was ever a possibility that these girls wouldn't survive.
Talitha laughs, "I'd love to have another set. I'd love to have boys and just kind of be done with it. It wouldn't be new territory."
Talitha is on the board of directors for the Fetal Hope Foundation, which offers support for families with fetal syndromes, as the director and vice president of marketing and Fundraising. She also is the Charlotte event director for the Race for Fetal Hope, a 5K that takes place during the month of September. The Web site for the foundation is www.fetalhope.com.
• Contact reporter Robin L. Gardner: 704-780-9140
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