John & Kelsey Palmer’s Story of daughters Khloe and Angel Kallie
July 1st, 2009
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John and Kelsey Palmer were so excited to be pregnant. Kelsey was about 8 ½ weeks along when she found out she would be having twins! Kelsey had two ultrasounds to confirm that there were two babies. Around thirteen weeks she had a follow-up ultrasound for growth and development. It was during this ultrasound the technician was unable to see a membrane separating the twins and when John and Kelsey were sent to a perinatologist for further ultrasound testing. “We were very nervous that we might lose our twins,” says Kelsey.
During the follow up ultrasound, which Kelsey said “seemed to take forever,” they were still unable to see a membrane. After doing a trans-vaginal ultrasound, they were able to see a membrane separating the babies. “We were both so relieved,” explains Kelsey. “I felt like everything was going to be ok and that we both were going to be able to relax for a little.”
Over the next few weeks they just enjoyed being pregnant, with girls! They took a vacation to San Francisco and were both having fun buying baby things. Then, around twenty-one weeks, a problem was discovered during a follow-up ultrasound. The ultrasound tech had their doctor come in to continue the rest of the ultrasound. At the conclusion of the ultrasound John and Kelsey were told that there was a possibility that their girls could have Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome, or TTTS. This is when the babies share a placenta and also have connecting blood vessels. One twin is usually the donor and one is the recipient. Their doctor also said it appeared that one of the babies might possibly have a two vessel umbilical cord. Normally there are three vessels. Kelsey was told to come back in a week so they could check on the girls again.
That next week was filled with research and worry for John and Kelsey. After their next follow-up, the doctor told them that it looked like they had TTTS. Their options at this point were to do nothing and just watch while our babies got sicker, or their doctor could refer them to a surgeon that specialized in TTTS laser surgery. “We opted for the referral and went to Evergreen Medical center to see Dr. Walker.”
They decided in the meantime to name their girls. “I just thought if they were going to have to go through surgery, and there was a chance they may not survive, that we should name them now,” explains Kelsey. “We chose Khloe (which means blooming) and Kallie (which means beautiful). John came up with the middle names by splitting my middle name, Elizabeth, so that they would both have a part of my name.” At this point the future was very uncertain for Khole Liz and Kallie Beth. John and Kelsey tried to stay calm and not worry too much, even though they knew that they might not have both of their beautiful babies to love.
After seeing Dr. Walker their hopes were even worse. He said that the girls did have TTTS and that Kallie, their smaller twin, did have a two vessel cord and her cord was also inserted on the edge of the placenta instead of the center. This made it very difficult for her to receive adequate perfusion. So they were faced with a very difficult decision. “Kallie was working very hard to survive, and if she were to die Khloe could die also because of their shared blood vessels,” explains Kelsey. John and Kelsey were given the options of doing nothing, having laser surgery to separate the girls, or having the surgery and ligating off Kallie’s cord so that Khloe would be guaranteed survival. After many tears and much discussion, John and Kelsey decided to have the surgery. They did not, however, opt for the cord ligation because they felt that they had to give both of their babies every opportunity to survive. “In having the surgery we were hopeful that Kallie, who was the donor, would receive increased perfusion and do better afterwards. Neither one of us could imagine life without both of our girls,” says Kelsey.
The surgery went well, and both babies were alive and doing fine. John and Kelsey were very relieved, and felt like everything was going to be okay. The next day, before Kelsey was discharged, another ultrasound was performed to see how the babies were doing. “Then we received the worst news of our lives.” Sometime during the night, Kallie Beth did not survive. Khloe was still alive and looked to be doing well. John and Kelsey were devastated and shocked. They could not believe they had lost one of their babies.
The next several weeks were very hard. “We both cried a lot,” says Kelsey. “And it was hard for either of us to talk about for awhile.” The hardest part for Kelsey, who works as a labor and delivery nurse, was when she was at work and patients would ask her what she was having. “It was so hard to know what to say,” she says. Kelsey continued to carry Khloe until she was thirty-nine weeks and two days, when she was born a healthy 7# 1oz.
After Khloe was born John and Kelsey had a quiet moment with both of their girls. “Kallie still lives with us every day in our hearts, and Khloe knows that she has a sissy in heaven watching over her,” explains Kelsey. Every year on their birthday John and Kelsey get two balloons; one for Khloe to keep and one for her to send to sissy Kallie in heaven. “It is still hard even three years later to think that we should have two beautiful girls that look like Khloe,” says John. “I sometimes wonder what they would have been like together and if Kallie’s personality would have been similar or different from Khloe’s. Even though we miss Kallie so much, Khloe is our living angel, and I think we love her even more after this experience. I know God is watching out for our angel in heaven and some day we will see her again.”
“Going through this journey has definitely made our family closer,” insists Kelsey. John and Kelsey have also become involved with the Fetal Hope Foundation. “It has been great to meet others who have gone through similar situations, and also to know that we are helping raise money toward something this meaningful.”
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