Selfless Grandma Adopts Twins With Rare Genetic D.i.s..e.a.s.e., Says She’s ‘Privileged’
A miracle mother-of-six who fell in love with baby twins with a rare genetic deformity has devoted her life to raising them after they were taken away from their parents.
Everyone knows that nurses are angels on earth. One particular nurse took this compassion to an entirely different level.
Linda Trepanier is a Minnesota nurse who is also a full-time medical foster care provider. The 58-year-old nurse recently showed the world just how much she loves children in need.
Matthew and Marshall Trepanier, three, have misshapen, oversized heads due to Pfeiffer Syndrome, which caused their skull bones to fuse prematurely in the womb.
Pfeiffer Syndrome, a rare genetic defect which the twins inherited from their father, affects a baby’s face and skull.
It occurs when the parts of the skull fuse together too early, meaning the bone can’t expand as the brain grows.
Because of this syndrome, the sweet twins were born with large and misshapen heads, bulging eyes, fibrous joints, and deformities of the hands and feet.
Matthew and Marshall were taken away from the parents shortly after they were born.
The full-time medical foster carer was then asked by Child Protective Services if she would consider adopting one of the boys for good.
She said she could never separate the lovable pair – so she adopted them both.
Their condition means they require round-the-clock care and have regular medical appointments.
Over the last two years they have both had three operations to reshape the bone that fused together before they were born to allow space for their brains to grow.
They need breathing tubes to survive and use wheelchairs to get around because the condition affects their mobility. They also wear glasses because their eyesight is poor.
Linda needs to take their temperature every few hours to check for infections and she tucks them into bed tightly every night to prevent them from yanking out their breathing tubes.
The tubes also mean they have a direct airway to their lungs so a simple cold or flu virus could kill them, and whenever she takes them outdoors she brings an oxygen tank in case of emergencies.
Although taking care of the twins is no easy task, her career as a nurse has prepared her to take on the challenge.
Linda gave up her career working as a regular nurse to look after poorly children in her own home back in 1986 and has fostered 16 children since.
‘When I was a little girl I always thought I wanted to be a nurse and take care of babies and kids.
Linda believes that with the right care, which she is determined to give them, the twins have a shot at living independent lives.
She has been with them every step of the way since she began fostering them in 2014, and their adoption was finalized last month.
Registered nurses help her look after Matthew and Marshall and her other adoptive children.
‘They are a lot of hard work but they are also a lot of fun – they are the happiest and smiliest.
‘Almost always if one twin laughs the other twin will automatically laugh as well.
‘Everybody just falls in love with them,’ gushed the proud mom.
Source:
dailymail.co.uk
