WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
We catch up with “miracle” twins.
Flashback: In May 2012, Grand featured a touching personal story by local journalist Cherri Greeno, who relived the hopes and heartbreaks of her pregnancy and early months with twin girls, Sarah and Megan.
The twins were born Jan. 18, 2011, 27 weeks into Greeno’s pregnancy. Sarah was 2 lbs. 2 oz. and Megan 1 lb. 5 oz. As Greeno wrote: “Both seemed unbelievably small, too tiny to be alive, yet there they were, tiny miracles clinging to life.”
At various times, specialists delivered bad news about the smaller twin Megan’s chances of survival and later about her chances for a healthy life. And when she did come home from hospital, she came with oxygen tanks and a feeding tube, inserted into her stomach through a small incision in her abdomen.
But Greeno, her husband Craig Parry, and their other daughters, Ella, 7, and Ava, 6 on Sept. 18, never gave up hope.
Today: This is an edited version of Grand editor Kathy Storring’s email interview with Greeno. For the full interview, check www.grandmagazine.ca.
Q: I understand Megan’s gastric tube was removed in July. What an incredible relief that must be. Can you tell us more about what this means?
A: When the G-tube was first inserted, Megan still had to be fed every three hours. It was tiring, but it didn’t take long for us to see that it was helping her tremendously. Not only was she gaining weight, but we could now focus on teaching her how to eat food orally.
I remember sitting on my kitchen floor with a bowl of warm chicken noodle soup and letting her touch and play with it. I figured this was a good food to start her on because it was warm, soft and salty. I was right. She grabbed a handful of noodles and shoved them in her mouth — and swallowed!
Over the next several months, and with the help of dietician Lynn Rogers and specialists from the Community Care Access Centre and KidsAbility, we were able to teach her how to eat from all the food groups. She even loves broccoli.
Once she started eating more, we were able to skip some tube feeds. After one year, we were able to stop the tube feeds all together. However, we had to keep the tube in for another six months because doctors at Sick Kids hospital wanted to make sure Megan didn’t have a setback that would require her to have the tube inserted again.
As for maintenance, the tube had to be flushed with water every day to clean it. Granulation tissue constantly formed around the hole as Megan’s body attempted to close it. This area of tissue is very sensitive and painful to the touch. Craig applied salty water or lightly bleached water to dry out the tissue.
The tube was long and hung out of her clothing, which meant it could easily get pulled or damaged. The tube had to be taped to her body, to limit the chance of it being pulled loose. The tape was changed regularly, using a special adhesive remover, so that the tender skin on her belly was not damaged.
Q: How does removing the tube open up her life in general?
A: Megan seemed to notice the presence of the tube, which was coiled up inside her tiny tummy. She is an active little girl and each time she moved she could feel it being pushed and tugged by her movements. We always tried to keep the tube tucked into undershirts and out of reach of other children — especially twin sister Sarah — who were curious and tried to pull at it. Now she can even do a lot of activities like gymnastics classes or swimming lessons without being stared at and without us worrying about it falling out.
And she just seems happier. She walked up to me the other day, pulled up her shirt and said with a smile, “Look at my tummy!”
Q: I’m sure you have encountered huge life lessons throughout this journey. When you look back, what are the things that strike you the most?
A: To accept help. We are not the type of people to ask for help but, when faced with a situation like this, we needed it. Whether it was food, play dates or a surprise coffee delivered to the house, it helped us get by. And I realized that people are happy to help. It makes them feel good.
We also learned to think positively. Not knowing if your baby is going to survive is an indescribable feeling. There were, literally, times my body shook with fear.
But my husband and I found that praying and thinking positively helped us out of some of the most difficult times, although he was certainly better at this than I was. He may have been just as scared but rarely showed it. He was my rock.
In the neonatal intensive care unit, you see a lot of parents whose babies don’t make it. So while people on the outside looked at us with sympathy, we never did. We knew — and know — how blessed we are just to have her alive. You really learn to put things into perspective.