- R
- R
Imagine the joy and excitement of finding out you are expecting and soon after finding out you are going to be doubly blessed with twins! This was the reality for Samantha (Sammy) and Adam Hock last spring. Their family of three, including big brother Landen, started looking forward to the addition of two more, a boy and a girl due to arrive December 22, 2019.
An otherwise uneventful pregnancy turned into anything but on September 4, 2019. On that day, Sammy went into her regularly scheduled OB appointment for her 24-week checkup. When the doctor performed the exam and an ultrasound, they discovered she was having mild contractions and her cervix was starting to thin and shorten - a sign that labor was starting. Her doctor immediately sent her to the hospital for further observation, which very quickly led to an ambulance ride to University Hospital in Iowa City.
Sammy spent the next 4 days on bedrest at the hospital in an attempt to stave off labor. During this time she was given injections of steroids to give the babies lungs a boost in case labor proceeded. All seemed to be going well until the morning of September 9, 2019 when contractions started to intensify and before she knew it, Sammy was headed into surgery to deliver her babies at 25 weeks, 1 day gestation. Lillian and Barrett were welcomed into the world, weighing 1 lb 14 oz and 1 lb 15 oz respectively.
Lillian and Barrett were born with immature lungs and holes in their hearts that would eventually require surgery to close. As with any baby born this early, much of the treatment is trial and error in finding the right balance for each baby's specific needs. What is good for one baby might not be the best course of treatment for another. Every day seemed like a roller coaster of good and bad, stable or unstable. All the while Sammy felt pulled in multiple directions while Landen attended high school and was active with soccer and wrestling. When she would come home to watch him participate in his sporting events, Adam would make the commute to IA City to make sure the twins had someone with them at all times. Adam has been working two jobs to continue paying the family’s normal bills. Please continue reading to see the battles that have been fought for this young family, some of which will continue for the foreseeable future.
Barrett - Soon after Barrett was born he started having complications with fluid in his abdomen requiring surgery on September 16, 2019 to install a drain tube in his side. The initial surgery prevented him from having his heart surgery until his little body could handle the stress of a major surgery. The doctors were never really sure what caused the fluid in his abdomen but Barrett remained under sedation for eight days until the doctors were satisfied with the results and all his labs showed signs of stability. He was finally able to have heart surgery on October 21, 2019. On November 20, 2019 both of the twins were diagnosed with ROP eye disease. This is an eye condition that premature babies can have due to the retina of the eye not getting the oxygen it needs to develop correctly, potentially leading to vision loss. The best course of treatment for the condition is to administer controlled oxygen, which delayed their release from the hospital. Barrett had one additional surgery to repair a hernia on February 3, 2020. Barrett was released from the hospital on February 7, 2020 just a couple days shy of 5 months!
Lillian - Lillian had several smaller infections after birth, which eventually cleared up enough that she was able to have heart surgery on October 7, 2019. The actual heart surgery went well, however, the next day she started showing signs of having pseudomonas, a bacterial infection. The infection would spread and she was diagnosed with sepsis on October 9, 2019. Sepsis is a life threatening infection in the bloodstream that can cause major organs to shut down including the kidneys and liver. Because her liver and kidneys were not functioning properly, her little body started retaining fluid, which caused everything to swell, including her head. After she fought off the sepsis and the swelling went down the doctors found evidence of a brain bleed caused by the severity of her body’s reaction to the sepsis. It will not be until she is a little older that we will know the extent of the damage this may have caused. Because of all the complications after her heart surgery, it pushed back the progress she had originally been making requiring her to be on a ventilator longer than her brother did. The progress with her ROP has been slower than her brother’s, delaying her release. The doctors still do not have a timeline for Lillian’s release.
Sammy - The last five months have been every mother's worst nightmare in just about every way. She gave birth to twins 15 weeks early in a hospital an hour and a half away from her hometown. She was left juggling her time between her newborn babies in Iowa City and Landen who is a very active freshman in high school. She has tried to maintain her job as well, but has only been able to work a couple days a month. The commute between the hospital and home is long and has added to the financial strain. After delivering the twins, Sammy started having severe stomach pains and ended up in the ER on two different occasions. It was decided by her doctors that she needed to have emergency gallbladder surgery on January 9, 2020. She spent much of her recovery time in the NICU with the twins. Since only one of the babies has been released from the hospital she is still staying in Iowa City so she can both care for Barrett and still be able to see Lillian in the NICU.
Once released, both babies will be going home with oxygen to be used 24 hours a day. They both will be required to have, at minimum, monthly doctor visits back at University Hospital in Iowa City, as well as several weekly visits from an in-home nurse. Sammy more than likely will not be working much leaving their family to face the financial strains of living the last five months and the foreseeable future on a reduced income. This would be tough enough with normal day-to-day expenses, but they also have to face the reality of the hospital bills that will soon be in the mail. Please consider helping to support Sammy and Adam as they try to navigate the future of their family and help ease their burden so they can focus on keeping Landen, Lillian and Barrett happy and healthy.
The Hock family is so grateful to the medical staff at the University of Iowa Hospital for their expertise and constant care of Lillian and Barrett. They would also like to thank each of you for your consideration and help through this difficult time.
An otherwise uneventful pregnancy turned into anything but on September 4, 2019. On that day, Sammy went into her regularly scheduled OB appointment for her 24-week checkup. When the doctor performed the exam and an ultrasound, they discovered she was having mild contractions and her cervix was starting to thin and shorten - a sign that labor was starting. Her doctor immediately sent her to the hospital for further observation, which very quickly led to an ambulance ride to University Hospital in Iowa City.
Sammy spent the next 4 days on bedrest at the hospital in an attempt to stave off labor. During this time she was given injections of steroids to give the babies lungs a boost in case labor proceeded. All seemed to be going well until the morning of September 9, 2019 when contractions started to intensify and before she knew it, Sammy was headed into surgery to deliver her babies at 25 weeks, 1 day gestation. Lillian and Barrett were welcomed into the world, weighing 1 lb 14 oz and 1 lb 15 oz respectively.
Lillian and Barrett were born with immature lungs and holes in their hearts that would eventually require surgery to close. As with any baby born this early, much of the treatment is trial and error in finding the right balance for each baby's specific needs. What is good for one baby might not be the best course of treatment for another. Every day seemed like a roller coaster of good and bad, stable or unstable. All the while Sammy felt pulled in multiple directions while Landen attended high school and was active with soccer and wrestling. When she would come home to watch him participate in his sporting events, Adam would make the commute to IA City to make sure the twins had someone with them at all times. Adam has been working two jobs to continue paying the family’s normal bills. Please continue reading to see the battles that have been fought for this young family, some of which will continue for the foreseeable future.
Barrett - Soon after Barrett was born he started having complications with fluid in his abdomen requiring surgery on September 16, 2019 to install a drain tube in his side. The initial surgery prevented him from having his heart surgery until his little body could handle the stress of a major surgery. The doctors were never really sure what caused the fluid in his abdomen but Barrett remained under sedation for eight days until the doctors were satisfied with the results and all his labs showed signs of stability. He was finally able to have heart surgery on October 21, 2019. On November 20, 2019 both of the twins were diagnosed with ROP eye disease. This is an eye condition that premature babies can have due to the retina of the eye not getting the oxygen it needs to develop correctly, potentially leading to vision loss. The best course of treatment for the condition is to administer controlled oxygen, which delayed their release from the hospital. Barrett had one additional surgery to repair a hernia on February 3, 2020. Barrett was released from the hospital on February 7, 2020 just a couple days shy of 5 months!
Lillian - Lillian had several smaller infections after birth, which eventually cleared up enough that she was able to have heart surgery on October 7, 2019. The actual heart surgery went well, however, the next day she started showing signs of having pseudomonas, a bacterial infection. The infection would spread and she was diagnosed with sepsis on October 9, 2019. Sepsis is a life threatening infection in the bloodstream that can cause major organs to shut down including the kidneys and liver. Because her liver and kidneys were not functioning properly, her little body started retaining fluid, which caused everything to swell, including her head. After she fought off the sepsis and the swelling went down the doctors found evidence of a brain bleed caused by the severity of her body’s reaction to the sepsis. It will not be until she is a little older that we will know the extent of the damage this may have caused. Because of all the complications after her heart surgery, it pushed back the progress she had originally been making requiring her to be on a ventilator longer than her brother did. The progress with her ROP has been slower than her brother’s, delaying her release. The doctors still do not have a timeline for Lillian’s release.
Sammy - The last five months have been every mother's worst nightmare in just about every way. She gave birth to twins 15 weeks early in a hospital an hour and a half away from her hometown. She was left juggling her time between her newborn babies in Iowa City and Landen who is a very active freshman in high school. She has tried to maintain her job as well, but has only been able to work a couple days a month. The commute between the hospital and home is long and has added to the financial strain. After delivering the twins, Sammy started having severe stomach pains and ended up in the ER on two different occasions. It was decided by her doctors that she needed to have emergency gallbladder surgery on January 9, 2020. She spent much of her recovery time in the NICU with the twins. Since only one of the babies has been released from the hospital she is still staying in Iowa City so she can both care for Barrett and still be able to see Lillian in the NICU.
Once released, both babies will be going home with oxygen to be used 24 hours a day. They both will be required to have, at minimum, monthly doctor visits back at University Hospital in Iowa City, as well as several weekly visits from an in-home nurse. Sammy more than likely will not be working much leaving their family to face the financial strains of living the last five months and the foreseeable future on a reduced income. This would be tough enough with normal day-to-day expenses, but they also have to face the reality of the hospital bills that will soon be in the mail. Please consider helping to support Sammy and Adam as they try to navigate the future of their family and help ease their burden so they can focus on keeping Landen, Lillian and Barrett happy and healthy.
The Hock family is so grateful to the medical staff at the University of Iowa Hospital for their expertise and constant care of Lillian and Barrett. They would also like to thank each of you for your consideration and help through this difficult time.
Organizer and beneficiary
Samantha Gunnison Hock
Beneficiary