Help Us Care for Our Miracle Quadruplets

Hello!

My name is Rachel, and my husband Marco and I had the shock of our lives when we found out something no

one ever expects to hear: my "third pregnancy" was actually quadruplets! Since then it has been a wild and

wonderful ride. We want to say thank you so much to our friend Kelly and her family for putting together this Go

Fund Me page on our behalf. We have been truly touched by the kindness that has been shown to us by so

many people who have met our babies. This is their story!

“Right now, there are four of them.”

I will never forget when the sonographer put her hand on my shoulder and told me, "Right now, there are four of

them. And right now, they're all alive."

On the monitor, I could see their little heartbeats flashing in front of me. They looked like perfect eggs pulsing

with life. I instantly thought they were beautiful and loved them all. But my appointment after that was somber

and tense. The nurse practitioner fired off a list of the potential complications. I was offered an abortion. I was

told I would need to be hospitalized, and the babies would spend a lot of time in the NICU. I was completely

overwhelmed--I had shown up for a routine ultrasound!

When I got home, my husband looked at my face and said, "What's wrong? Is the baby dead? Does the baby

have a heart defect?"

"There are four babies!” I cried.

Without skipping a beat, he said, "Well, we'll buy a van!"

“The surgeon would just tell you to abort.”

Unfortunately, my high-risk doctor didn't share Marco's optimism about the girls because of a number of

complications that arose for us. All four babies shared the same placenta, two babies shared an amniotic sac,

and my heart started struggling.

Ultimately we had to switch doctors when the babies developed Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS),

which could have killed them all. Our doctor looked us in the face and told us there was nothing we could do;

the local surgeon wouldn't attempt the laser ablation surgery on quads. But to us, that wasn't an option. We

found a doctor in Arizona, Dr. Elliott, who is an expert in multiples. I gave him a call.

"Let me call the surgeon we work with to see what he recommends."

I moved to Arizona, where the people are friendly and there are lots of auto accidents when it actually

rains.

Dr. Elliott believed in our girls as much as we did. So we got on a plane, and I temporarily moved to Arizona. By

this time I spent all day lying down, drinking four Ensure protein drinks every day and trying to make it to 4000

calories per day, following a diet that had been recommended as a method that could reverse the TTTTS. Nice

work if you can get it!

And it did work! When we got to Arizona, our first ultrasound showed that the TTTS had resolved. We didn't

need the risky surgery. We had hope.

But unfortunately some more problems came up for the girls. I had three episodes of preterm labor, and

Veronica had severe growth restriction and worsening cord flow. Sofia might need heart surgery immediately

after birth, but she had to be born big enough for the procedure. I got gestational diabetes and then ultimately

developed pre-eclampsia. So at 30 weeks and 3 days, the girls were born! They were tinier than baby dolls, but

they were all born breathing.

They were here!

In the NICU, three babies were intubated. Sofia was transferred to another hospital and underwent a procedure

to fix her heart valve. But our ladies wanted to be alive! Slowly they weaned off of breathing supports and

learned how to eat without their feeding tubes.

After two months of NICU time, finally we flew them home. They started physical and occupational therapy to

help their development. I also started physical therapy, which is helping with mobility and pain issues from the

pregnancy and c-section. Now our former NICU preemies love the library, the park, and long walks in their

gigantic wagon (“The Rolls-Royce”). Finally they have the life of normal, happy babies discovering the world.

Why we made this page:

The main reason for our Go Fund Me page is the costs associated with medical care that weren't covered by

our insurance, such as:

- The reclining-seat flight I took to Arizona (since I couldn't sit up)

- The flight home with all four girls

- Two months in the hospital for me and two for the girls in the NICU

- Three ambulance rides

- Formula and diapers, continued specialist appointments, and necessary childcare so we can go to

appointments

We have been very lucky to receive a large amount of formula and diapers from a nonprofit organization, but

the cost of buying “four of everything” can be high. We consider ourselves unbelievably blessed just to have

made it through this pregnancy and come out with four healthy and happy babies. But if you would like to give

any small amount toward the girls' care, we would be so humbled by your generosity, as we have been

humbled repeatedly by the kindness we have received from so many people who have met our girls. Here are

a few examples of what a few amounts might help with:

- $25 - an hour of babysitting so I can go to the girls’ appointments or physical therapy

- $50 - three days of formula

- $100 - would contribute to medical care costs

Thank you so much for reading the story of our ladies! When I was faced with pessimistic doctors or feeling

pessimistic myself, I would think of the quote from Jeremiah:

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you."

We always knew that each of our girls had her own soul and was made in the image and likeness of God. Our

faith kept us going in our most difficult hours. We hope that our experience can inspire other parents never to

lose hope, even when you are facing challenges that might seem insurmountable.

With love from,

The Vargas Family