When Anna visited her OB-GYN in San Angelo, Texas, for her 20-week sonogram, the physician noticed the baby was much smaller than she should be.
Katherine Grace Heimbecker made her entrance into the world on May 7, 2018 at 25 weeks gestation, weighing only 11.9 ounces.
Holly and Heather were born severely premature, weighing just one pound, 10 ounces, and two pounds, respectively. The identical twins were rushed to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at CHRISTUS Children’s and were fighting for their lives.
Holly has undergone eight resuscitations, 17 brain surgeries, two lung surgeries, two intestinal surgeries, three eye surgeries, one cranial reconstruction, and more. Thanks to generous supporters like you, the sisters beat all the odds and continue to grow stronger together.
Marceline and Phoebe were born at 23-weeks-gestation at CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Hospital – New Braunfels. The twins both weighed just a little over one pound each and were extremely frail. Marceline and Phoebe were immediately airlifted to CHRISTUS Children’s for further treatment and were admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Upon arrival, doctors quickly got to work to care for these tiny girls. Phoebe underwent surgery right away to repair a small bowel perforation and continued to have surgeries on her GI tract. Marceline had extra blood flowing to her lungs and received surgery to close the artery as well as surgeries to correct cranial abnormalities. Today, Marceline and Phoebe are two fiery five-year-olds.
Casey Vanderstoep was excited to be a first-time mom.It was the middle of the pandemic, so her husband, Peter, was not able to attend on the day of her first ultrasound. During her appointment, Casey was surprised to learn she was not having one baby – she was having two.
CHRISTUS Children’s Foundation exists to fund the health care, research and wellness programs that serve children and families in South Central Texas. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit entity. All gifts are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. ©2023 CHRISTUS Children’s Foundation
