Our sister Rebekah was 36 weeks pregnant with fraternal twins when she went to the hospital. That evening she felt like things were not quite right so she wanted to get checked out. After being checked out, the hospital staff noticed one of the baby’s heart rate was dropping. They had to perform an emergency caesarean section. The surgery went well and babies were healthy. It wasn’t until after Rebekah got into the recovery room when things went downhill. She was on the phone with our mom telling her that the girls had arrived and they were fine, when her words started to slur. According to our mom, she sounded tired. After exchanging I love yous and goodbyes, my sister got off the phone. She was holding the babies and asked her friend Danielle, to take them because her arm started to tingle and she did not want to drop either of them. Within seconds of Danielle taking them, Rebekah started to seize. She stopped breathing and was without a pulse for 17 minutes. The hospital staff was able to revive Rebekah but she remained in a coma. But after being transferred to a hospital with a higher level ICU, her heart stopped beating again and unfortunately they could not bring her back.
The twins, Addison (Addi) and Elliot (Elli), have been doing excellent since day one. Addi weighed 5lbs 14oz and Elli weighed 5lbs 10oz at birth and both had absolutely no issues whatsoever. 15 months later, they are still doing great. Elli now weighs almost 2 pounds more than Addi. Both are walking and trying their best to keep up with their big brother Jacob. They can say dada and guma (grandma). Rebekah would be so proud of her girls.
Rebekah was the most outgoing person. She loved to have fun and make people laugh. She was outspoken and brutally honest. But at the same time she was also one of the most tender-hearted, genuine people you could meet. She grew up wanting to help people and that is exactly what she did as a nurse. Her passion for caring for others was boundless. Her passion was recognized by her co-workers and they nominated her as nurse of the year. She had only been working at this place for 8 months. But more than anything else, Rebekah wanted to be a mom. Her family meant everything to her. After having Jacob it was hard to imagine her having any more children because her love for him was immeasurable. But after finding out she was going to have the twins, it was as if she was complete. Her heart was so full of love and excitement it radiated off of her and affected everyone she encountered.