Pro-Lifers: Can You Help This Mom of Conjoined Twins?

Last updated on: July 2, 2015 at 12:29 pm by Kathy Schiffer

Pro-Lifers: Can You Help This Mom of Conjoined Twins? 2015-07-02T12:29:41-05:00 Kathy Schiffer

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I’d like you to meet Hannah and Olivia McCullough.

These precious twins are, you may have noticed, conjoined. Hannah, the stronger of the two, has a normal heart and no other malformations, other than being conjoined to Olivia, with the exception of her bladder and colon. Olivia, though, has a single ventricle heart and is missing valves; and she will likely not survive long after birth.

Their mother Amber believes, though, that the twins have purpose, and that all life has value. She has refused to consider abortion, even though the girls’ father pressured her. As a result of her determination, Amber is now a single mother facing the complicated pregnancy and birth alone. She has been on medical leave from her job since April, and has had her gas shut off for nonpayment. Her other bills–rent, electricity–are in default, and she stands to lose everything. Her ex-husband, who is father to her six-year-old son, has been no help.

Amber faces a difficult surgery called an EXIT procedure, if she is to save even Hannah. Amber, who is herself an identical twin, explains:

An EXIT is where they put the mother completely under to partially deliver the baby and perform a procedure that they wouldn’t have time to once off maternal bypass/once the cord is cut. For an EXIT to separation, we would need 2-3 hours of maternal bypass. That is, they would need to put me deep under so that my girls also go under through me, they would need enough time to make a vertical cut the length of most my abdomen, bring my uterus outside of/on top of my body (because my placenta is in the front), cut my uterus from the back of it, partially deliver Hannah and Olivia, and begin the separation surgery on top of my body while still receiving all of their oxygen, blood flow etc. from me, all as an attempt to save Hannah’s life.

This courageous young woman will need to travel to Denver to undergo the complicated surgery. And of course, she wants to keep her home in Minnesota, so that she and the children will have someplace to return home to after the birth.

Before the necessary medical leave, Amber was committed to service and providing help for others. Last month she transferred from the Army Reserves as a Captain to the Inactive Ready Reserve. She has served eight years thusfar and worked hard to earn a promotion from a Private First Class to Captain. She is a young attorney and has volunteered hundreds of hours providing legal services to under represented populations. For the last year and a half, Amber advocated for women at a local domestic violence shelter.

Now, Amber is the one needing help, and she is entirely dependent on others for support. She has been forced to set up a GoFundMe account to help with the expenses of caring for her family and bringing her twins into the world with the greatest hope of survival. Amber explains on her GoFundMe page why this was necessary:

I cannot euthanize my daughters just because it would be more financially convenient. I know some out there would say I should abort and have told me that I should. I can’t. It is not in me to do so nor do I think a woman should ever be pressured into doing so.

By donating to my GoFundMe account you will assist in merely keeping the mortgage paid and the lights on for my children and I while we persevere through this battle. You will be assisting in medical (as well as travel for medical care) and legal fees to preserves the life of Hannah and Olivia and our story. In addition to the already very difficult and heart breaking situation we find ourselves in, their father does not want me to talk about it and has sought to restrain me in court from talking about our story. I fear him and I fear he may try to gain legal rights to pull the plug once we are further down this path as well. Because of this, legal fees have already become a part of our already very difficult journey.

If you find it in your heart to contribute even a little toward the family and medical expenses Amber will incur in the coming months, you can visit her GoFundMe page. She also will post updates regarding the status of the two tiny lives which have been entrusted to her loving care.

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