On the 20th December 2016 my wife and I waited nervously at Lincoln County Hospital for our 12 week scan. Moments later we received the best possible news when the sonographer announced that we would be expecting twins. Imagine our worry only 8 weeks later at the 20 week scan when we were told that there was a chance we could lose both our babies to a condition known as Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS).
TTTS occurs when there is an imbalance in the placental blood vessels that connect both twins. If the blood doesn't flow evenly between the twins, one gets more blood, called the recipient twin, while the other gets less blood (the donor twin). The uneven blood flow results in the recipient twin growing too big, thanks to the extra nutrients and fluid he/she is receiving, and the donor twin growing too slowly. A very serious condition, which if left untreated will be fatal to one or both of the babies.
We were immediately transferred to the care of Professor Mark Kilby and his team at Birmingham Women’s & Children’s Foundation Trust and the University of Birmingham. Upon our first consultation, they advised that Claire had developed Stage 3 (from stages 1-5) TTTS and fetoscopic laser ablation treatment was recommended ASAP (the next day). The surgery was however risky and Prof Kilby advised that in the 1000 or so procedures he had done, in about 50% of cases both babies lived, a further 40% of cases saw 1 of the babies survive and unfortunately in the remaining 10% of cases both babies passed away.
Claire and I are under no illusion how lucky we have been. From detection to surgery was less than 5 days and the outcome could not have been better. We are fully aware that for many other couples the outcome is not so positive. On 3rd September 2017 I will be running the Humber Coastal Half Marathon to raise funds for Prof Kilby’s team and their research into TTTS. Please can you assist in helping me raise my target of £1,000 thank you.