#teamduff
Prologue:
I have written multiple Facebook post over the past several months about the birth of my twin boys. They were born on April 21st. Trenin weighed 2 lbs 11 Oz and Kaiden was 2 lbs. They came into our lives after 30 weeks of hanging out with Mom. They are very special boys. They were born with Down Syndrome. There is a 1 in 2 million chance of identical twins being born with Down Syndrome. That means my wife and I are two very lucky people.
I have been told people have enjoyed reading my point of view of having two special boys and an amazing 3-year-old daughter. I am inviting you to join my family of five and on the incredible journey that is called life. We are a family of five, but we are so much more. Together with your support, we are #teamduff.
Team Roster:
Kevin: The hard working Dad and sometimes leader of the teamduff, when his wife is not around.
Tendra: The stay at home Mom and the real leader of the teamduff.
Kearsley: The cute and spunky 3-year-old daughter.
Treinin: One of the twins that was born with a nasal blockage. He spent 10 weeks on a vent waiting for his surgery, which he rocked on 6/28/16.
Kaiden: The other twin that was born with a bowel blockage. He has overcome two stomach surgery in less than 7 days. Fun fact, Kaiden means “Warrior.”
***Facebook post with edits from 7/11/16***
Around The NICU In 80 Days
Phileas Fogg is Jules Verne’s hero in Around The World in 80 Days. His adventure started in London with stops in Suez, Bombay, Calcutta, Hong Kong, Yokohama, San Francisco, and New York. Fogg’s adventure in circumventing the world is thrilling, scary, and sometimes enjoyable. If you have never read the book, it is truly a masterpiece. Amazon gives it 4 1/2 stars and there is a classic 1956 movie by the same title that will save you hours of reading, but you get the point.
So, why is 80 days relevant to this blog? It has been 80 days since Trenin and Kaiden were born. While the Duff family adventure is not on the same grand scales as Fogg’s it has been every bit just a thrilling, scary, and enjoyable.
Trenin and Kaiden were born on April 21st, 2016. For anyone with children, there is no greater thrill than meeting your baby for the first time. There is also nothing scarier than knowing your kids are going to have a difficult road to travel.
Less than 12 hours after Kaiden was born he was facing his first surgery. I think being terrified is the best adjective I can use to describe when I saw my son, that weighs less than 2 lbs, go into surgery. He came through it like a rock star but I was scared.
Another scary moment was after two days of being remarkably healthy Trenin was placed on a vent. We found out later that day that he is going to need surgery to fix his airway. The Doctors were not even sure when he could have surgery because he is so small. Until then he is going to be on a vent.
Kaiden’s second surgery was one of the toughest days of my life. His health turned very quickly. He needed emergency surgery to fix his bowls. The doctors were so concerned about him they did not want to move him. His second surgery was in the NICU. The thought of losing my sweet boy still brings tears to my eyes, but I find greater joy knowing I still have my boy.
A great moment for Kaiden was when he eat and pooped for the first time after his second surgery. Insert your favorite poop joke here. :) My Mother would be mortified to know I still think poop is funny, but it was a magnificent day.
The ebb and flow of the NICU is like nothing I can describe. It is the highest of highs followed by the lowest of lows. The next low for Kaiden was finding blood in his stool. He was immediately not allowed to eat again. He was given a blood transfusion and had a bunch of tests to see what was wrong. He was in quarantine for 10 days while we tried to figure what caused the bleeding. The answer never came, but he recovered!
Kaiden has dominated this post but during this time Trenin had a plastic tube in his throat. He spent 65 days waiting for surgery to fix his airway. The surgery went great, but he had to hang on a few more days to get the tube out. I was at his bedside the night the Respiratory Therapist took the tube out of his throat. I cried tears of joy when I heard him cry for the first time. I spent two hours looking at his face without all the tubes and tape. I was really tired the next day at work, but it was worth it.
The boys are now roomies in the NICU. Tendra has decorated their room like a luau. Everyone loves a luau. Everyone has to be honest; it is just fun to hang out at the beach and have a fruity drink. Come to the luau at the Duff Boy’s room. We promise you will have a good time.
They are now both now learning how to eat. Learning to eat from the bottle is going to be a long road. They are fighting every day to learn. They have won every battle that has been placed in front of them. I have no doubt they will win.
Most of this post has been spent talking about the thrills and scary moments, but very little has focused on the enjoyable times. Unmeasurable joy has followed every scary moment, but there are smaller more intimate moments. Holding your newborn sons on a random weeknight at 10:30 pm, or the first time the boys got their picture taken together. There are so many moments that I cannot share them all.
80 days is a significant milestone. I have been thinking about how lucky I am, and I wanted to share my thoughts with anyone that takes the time to read this. We have climbed 3/4 of the mountain. We are closing in on the summit, but we are not there yet, but there is no doubt we will reach the top.
We are a family of five, but we are so much more. Together with your support, we are #teamduff.