Lisa and Bryan Beymer’s story began much the same as many other couples who have become victims of Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS).  They were thrilled to find out they were expecting a baby and were looking forward to starting their family together.  They had all the standard blood tests, and became very concerned when their quad test at 15 weeks came back outside the normal range.  The follow up ultrasound showed that there were TWO babies!  They were shocked to find out they’d be looking forward to twins, but it only took a couple of hours to fall in love with the idea, and with both of their babies. 

During that same ultrasound they were told that it looked as though their twins were mono-amniotic (shared the same amniotic sack).  This is a rare and very dangerous complication for identical twins.  Lisa and Bryan claim they were very naive- they didn’t know what they were facing and tried to focus on their babies and the life they wanted to make with them.  They were told they were too “high risk” for their current doctor’s office, and it was recommended that they go to a different area hospital for a higher resolution ultrasound.  It was a whirl wind of internet research, new doctor appointments, and the feeling of being lost in a medical works they didn’t understand.
 
Lisa’s higher resolution ultrasound did show a membrane between the babies, but at the same time her babies were diagnosed with TTTS.  This gave Lisa and Bryan a moment of relief (having the membrane between them was a good thing), but plunged them into a whole now world of research and concern for what was to come.  That is when they were referred to Dr. Martin Walker at the Maternal Fetal Medicine clinic at

The surgery went smoothly, and Lisa’s night spent in the hospital to monitor for contractions and any sign of distress was as comfortable as it could have been.  All went well, and as early as the next morning an ultrasound showed that the fluid levels for both babies were beginning to level out.  The Beymers were increasingly optimistic that they had beaten the syndrome and would soon have two beautiful boys at home with them. 
 
Unfortunately, Lisa and Byan’s story ends differently.  The surgery seemed to be a success, and the condition improved for the next 6 weeks.  “Then, at 24 weeks, we lost our “baby B”, Jacob.  We were devastated.  We had worked hard to prepare ourselves for a loss prior to the surgery, but in the weeks that followed it we had allowed ourselves to feel increasingly optimistic.”  They now focused on their survivor, Noah.  Noah was the recipient, he was larger and stronger.  “Dr. Walker was very up front with us, though,” adds Lisa.  “Noah was still in danger.” 

The surgery had caused a leak in Noah’s amniotic sack that had separated it from the wall of the uterus.  Lisa and Bryan were told there was a chance Noah would cause that hole to grow and would be in danger from the shredded membrane.  3 weeks after the loss of Jacob, the shredded membrane found its way around the umbilical cord and Noah was lost as well.
 
Noah and Jacob were born sleeping on Dec. 29, 2005.  “Although we clearly did not get the result we were hoping for, we were so touched by the kindness of the people we met along the way.  From the doctors and nurses at Evergreen, the families we met who had the same look of apprehension on their faces in the waiting room, to the strangers who took the time to read and answer internet posts and bring us comfort that we weren’t alone.  We spent a long time quietly in our living room trying to understand why this had happened to us and what we could learn from our heartbreaking experience.  What we discovered was that we had an incredible group of friends and family around us who had stood with us through the entire fight, and had shown us how lucky we were to have such an army of support.  We learned to believe in the strength of our relationship and that there was nothing we couldn’t get through together, and we learned to believe in the kindness of strangers.” 

Lisa and Bryan still miss Noah and Jacob everyday and the lives they should have had, and claim to never be the same people they were before their battle with TTTS.  “But,” adds Lisa, “we are stronger and more appreciative of what we have as a result.  I got invlovled with the Fetal Hope Foundation’s