Growing Stronger Together

There is an undeniably special connection between a mother and her newborn baby. Seven years ago, Meredith Cooper fought alongside her husband, Gary, and physicians at The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio to save her newborn twins, Holly and Heather.

“My water broke early, and we still don’t know what caused it,” said Meredith. “We called 9-1-1 and an ambulance arrived within 15 minutes. After assessing me, they determined that my birthing hospital was too far, and I needed to be taken to The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio.”

In the emergency room, medical teams performed an ultrasound and discovered there was not enough fluid for the babies to survive. Heather was born weighing two pounds and Holly weighed only one pound, 10 ounces. The identical twins were rushed to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

“Every day was a challenge,” said Gary. “Every day was a fight for our babies to survive. Every minute, every second, we didn’t know which, if either, of our babies was going to survive. While one was doing well, the other was doing badly. It was an ongoing emotional roller coaster.”

“I was told that most 24-week preemies do not survive,” Meredith said, “But I knew my babies were in the right place, with the right doctors and nurses.”

Now seven years old, Holly and Heather continue to see their specialists at The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio. Holly was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, cerebral palsy, and status epilepticus, a condition that causes prolonged seizures. Heather also suffers from Hydrocephalus and has a mild case of cerebral palsy. They continue to grow stronger together and are the best of friends.

Holly and Heather are home with their mom this Mother’s Day because of your generous support. Please consider making a gift honoring our mothers and thousands of mothers like Meredith at ChildrensHospitalSAFoundation.org.

Your gift makes a difference in the lives of our patients and families every day.