Leigha's Fund to Help her Sister

Hello everyone! My name is Leigha Campos and I am here to help raise funds for my beautiful sister, Stephanie Davi and her husband, Vincent Davi. On August 30, 2007, my sister gave birth to identical twin girls, named Abigail Marie and Emily Elizabeth.

Both of her daughters were born with a rare chromosomal abnormality known as Trisomy 18, or Edwards Syndrome, which is caused by an error during the meiotic stages of cell division. Instead of a normal chromosomal pair, an extra chromosome 18 appears, resulting in significant disruption of the baby's normal developmental process. This disturbance of a baby's normal pattern of development is nearly always life-threatening, even before birth, and allows many medical complications to arise in the early months and years of life. On top of this, Abigail Marie had what is know as a diaphragmatic hernia (a birth defect that creates an abnormal opening in the diaphragm). This complication allowed her stomach and part of her liver to slip through the opening and crowd her chest. Consequently, her lungs were unable to develop properly. Because her lungs were underdeveloped, breathing became a real struggle for her. The doctors sadly notified us that there was nothing they could do. 

Abigail peacefully passed into God's arms shortly over an hour after her time with us, but we were assured she felt no pain. 

Emily Elizabeth was born strong-willed and curious. 

The Trisomy 18 had affected some of her natural, instincintive responses, such as her sucking reflex, and for a majority of her time with us, she was fed through an infant feeding tube. Other than that, she was like any other sweet, calm and content baby girl. 

On the morning of September 9, 2007, we received an urgent call from my sister around 2AM with news that they were at the hospital with Emily. She was exhibiting symptoms of a condition known as Apnea. The effect of Trisomy 18 was blocking/preventing  neural impulses to her vital organs, such as her heart and lungs. She experienced episodes where she would stop breathing, then a few minutes later she would come back, screaming. Fighting. Every time she stopped breathing, we thought she was gone. And every time she came back, it was torture. She was fighting so hard for someone so small and so fragile. Around 11AM we returned home from the hospital, once again being told there was nothing that could be done. For hours we all sat in a circle around my sister and her husband, waiting. We knew what was coming next, but no one was prepared for it. Not so soon after we had lost her sister. Every so often Stephanie or Vince would muffle "It's okay, you can let go," "You can go to Heaven, it's okay.." At appoximately 6:05 that night, Emily was reunited with her sister, Abigail.

It was enough to shatter anyone. The pain and the shock was so agonizingly extensive. Breaking every bone in my body would have been more bearable than sitting in that room as Emily's chest fell one final time. Although it was filled with sobs, all that could be heard was silence. Tragically deafening silence that seemed to go on forever. And then, without warning, it was all too loud. As if the world was screaming and yelling at the top of its lungs, making it impossible to listen or understand.

We got through it though. And we're still getting through it.  We were all comforted knowing that they were in no more pain. And, we realized that even God needs little angels to help Him in Heaven. 

This all happened nearly 8 years ago. It's been nearly 8 years, and our family is still unable to afford a grave marker for our girls. Our "Ladybugs."

While the pickets are sufficient in letting us know where they rest, I know my sister struggles with the fact that she couldn't do something more. 

My sister has been such an inspiration to me, and she and her husband are such good parents. She was so strong then, and she's even stronger now. She chose not to terminate, even under the pressure of her doctors, who showed very little support in the survival of her pregnancy. She deeply believed that everyone deserved a chance at life. And she was right. While their lives were cut short, there was never a second that they were not surrounded by family and constantly showered with love and adoration.  It's not always about the quantity of life. It's about the quality. And the quality of life these girls received is enough to make anyone desirous. They were cherished and always will be.

Since then, they now have two rambunctious boys and a baby girl on the way.



My sister is so wonderful. An overworked RN working graveyard and she still makes time to let her family know how much she loves and appreciates them. She is generous, compassionate and protective of everyone in her life. That is why, on August 30 of this year (My nieces' birthday), I want to surprise my sister by presenting her with a check to finally purchase a grave marker for her girls. I want to be able to provide my sister with the closure she deserves, because she needs to know just how much her family and community admires and cares for her.

My $4,000 goal is to ensure that my sister is able to purchase the engraved marker design of her choice. Any extra funds will be donated to the Trisomy 18 foundation, in hopes that one day we may find a cure or more effective treatments for the complications of this condition.

Another goal is for this to be a surprise! So if you know my sister personally, try and keep it a secret. :) Anything will help, and I want to personally thank all of you ahead of time for your donations. We've got 3 months to reach the goal. Let's make it happen!

For more information about Trisomy 18, please visit their webpage:  Trisomy 18 Foundation 
 

I encourage all of you to also visit my nieces' legacy page, written beautifully and heartbreakingly by my sister after they passed. It is well worth the read: http://tris.convio.net/site/TR/Events/General?pxfid=2600&fr_id=1070&pg=fund