Imagine losing your sister to cancer and grieving her death you find out your are pregnant with twins. Today’s guest experienced just that in October 2019 when she found out she was carrying twin girls. During Trae Francois 20 week ultrasound she found out her cervix had shorten and doctors did not recommend a cerclage due to her high risk twin pregnancy. She began taking progesterone to strengthen her cervix and to stop it from continue to shorten. It was on January 20, 2020 when her water broke at 23 weeks that doctors had to make tough decisions on baby A whose sac was ruptured due to PPROM. Baby girls Ava and Ari were born on January 22, 2020 and on January 25, 2020 baby Ari went to be with God in heaven. Ava continues to fight for her life in the NICU and is on track to come home in May 2020. In this episode Trae takes us back on her journey, her NICU stay in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic, and how she is grieving the loss of Ari while being strong for Ava. This episode is for you to listen to if you have experienced a twin loss and for understanding of what a NICU stay looks like in this pandemic.
Trae Francois’s Loss Story
In January 2019 I met the man I prayed floor. I’m a part time bartender and he came in on a day I wasn’t supposed to work. We hit it off and from that day forth we became inseparable. 2019 was shaping out to be my year. 2018 ended on a solid note, I was coming into myself, hitting my stride, was flourishing at my new job, new amazing man- everything was just right. I prayed for the peace I felt coming out of 2018 going into 2019 and I felt like I was finally getting my years good karma back tenfold. Unbeknownst to me, God had other plans. January 2019 – January 2020 ended up being the absolute worst years of my life. I dare not say it can’t get any worse because the universe has a a way of humbling us when we say “it can’t get any worse.”
February 28, 2019 I lost my sister to a rare uterine sarcoma cancer that hit her and my family like a merciless freight truck. A piece of me died with her. Half of my soul took its last breath along with hers, my shattered into a million little pieces and I’m still not sure how to go about putting them back together, like broken glass somethings are better left alone rather than try to piece them together. Well fast forward to October 2019 I get the surprise that I’m pregnant, with identical twin girls. It HAD to be my sister blessing us. My first children would be twins, I felt a blanket of hope, it was like she was Sending us a piece of her to ease our spirit. At my 20 week appointment my cervix began to shorten, we were given the option to do a cerclage although my doctor was strongly against it, if we wanted it he would’ve done it. Or the other options were stay the course. After extensive research I decided to try Arabin pessary and progesterone suppositories. Besides my cervix bring sorry, my pregnancy has been going great. No major complications that come with carrying twins. On January 21, 2020 my water broke at work. I was only 23 weeks. My boyfriend and I rushed to George Washington Hospital in DC. Baby A sac was ruptured and I would be admitted to the hospital for PPROM and an incompetent cervix where I would stay until I delivered. Fine- I’ll do WHATEVER I have to to save my girls.
I went into labor the very next night. January 22, 2020 Ava was born at 11:01 pm and Ari was born at 11:04. January 25, 2020 our precious Ari transitioned at 2:45pm- on her Daddy’s birthday. Ava continues her stay in the NICU where she is on track to come home mid May 2020.
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