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Twin to Twin Transfusion Awareness Month

December is Twin to Twin Transfusion Awareness month!  TTTS is a rare disease of the placenta in identical twins that cause one twin to be the “donor twin”  and have decreased blood volume throughout their mother’s pregnancy.  What better way to celebrate this month then by sharing the story of our very own Patient Champion Olivia who was born with TTTS.

Olivia was the donor twin.

Because of this, Olivia was born with only half of her left arm. Due to a vascular disruption and lack of necessary blood flow, her arm just stopped growing. She and her sister Claire were monitored very closely during the rest of the pregnancy.

Just a week after Olivia and her sister were born 7 weeks early, it was confirmed Olivia had Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) – which is where portions of the intestine tissue begins to die off. She wasn’t growing as quickly as her twin, who was able to come home after just 3 weeks in the NICU. 40% of Olivia’s colon was damaged and needed to be removed. She endured a 10 week stay at Nationwide Children’s Hospital post-surgery while she fought to recover. Olivia’s been a fighter since day one.

It was when she was finally being discharged to go home that doctors discovered Olivia might have hearing loss, after she failed two hearing screenings. Olivia received her first set of hearing aids at just 6 months old.

Fast forward to present day,  Olivia  and her signature bows along with  Claire are two AMAZING young ladies that have energy and spark for days!  To read more about Olivia’s journey at Nationwide Children’s Hospital  click here .