On October 14th, Tiberius Everett Koupal joined the world in Yankton.  He was 4 pounds, 1 ounce. Tiberius was born about 9 weeks early requiring him to be air flighted to the NICU at Avera in Sioux Falls shortly after he arrived via C-Section. But this isn't the beginning of this little fighters story...

Jeff and Marie found out they were pregnant with their first baby on April 10th. At their first ultrasound, they saw their baby but were unable to see the heartbeat. A repeat ultrasound a few days later on April 29th found not one heartbeat, but two! Surprise.... Twins!

In fact, modi twins which means the two baby boys were identical and sharing a placenta. This resulted in appointments every 2 weeks with a specialist in Sioux Falls to monitor the twins for signs of Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS). 16 weeks into the pregnancy, the boys were diagnosed with TTTS. Jeff and Marie rushed to Minneapolis, Minnesota the day of the diagnosis to have a procedure done in order to save their babies' lives. The procedure went as well as we all could have hoped, however, Tiberius's brother, Tormund, passed away a few days later.

With a history of TTTS, Tiberius was not out of the woods yet. Jeff and Marie continued appointments with their specialist in Sioux Falls for a few weeks. They finally were released to their original doctor in Yankton after Tiberius continued to show great improvements.  However, the possibility of an early delivery continued. 

This brings us back to the arrival of Tiberius - little fighter that has overcome immense odds for someone so tiny. He continues to improve daily but he will require a longer stay at the NICU at Avera in Sioux Falls. 

Part of why Tibby is such a fighter is because of his parents. Jeff and Marie have been in Sioux Falls with him, in his corner every day. Marie has also been a warrior. She required multiple IVs throughout the pregnancy because of constant morning sickness, was diagnosed with prenatal diabetes, endured the procedure to save Tibby along with a C-Section where she was discharged a day later to be with her baby. She has taken on every challenge and Jeff has supported her every step of the way, physically and emotionally.

Now they need our support. Jeff and Marie are staying in Sioux Falls to be with their baby boy. Not only do they have medical bills from the specialist appointments, procedure to save Tibby, clinic visits, medication, C-Section and hospital stay, air flight and NICU care for Tibby, they have the cost of food, transportation, and loss of wages in order to fight alongside their baby. 

Please consider helping Jeff, Marie, and Tibby in any way you can. Let's surround them with love through this journey.