I am not even sure where to begin, other than to say that Lorenzo is a true gift from God and proof that miracles really do happen. In August 0f 2007 I found out that I was pregnant with twins. My husband and I were in utter shock. The pregnancy was completely spontaneous, meaning we did not use fertility drugs to conceive. The shock wore off in a few days and excitement soon set in. I was so happy and felt so blessed to be having two babies. Little did I know that my excitement and happiness would be short-lived. In August of 2007 I took sick and my life has not been the same since.

I was referred to a high risk OBGYN group out of Robert Wood Johnson early in my pregnancy. The twins were in two separate sacs, but they shared the same placenta and Twin A (Lucas) was taking most of the nutrients and growing faster and stronger than Twin B (Lorenzo). The outlook was grim because I was only 16 weeks pregnant at the time. I remember the doctors telling me that it was highly unlikely that I would come out of this pregnancy with one baby, let alone two and I was heartbroken to say the least.

If the boys had any chance at survival, I had to get them to 21 weeks gestation. I spent the next 3 months in and out of the hospital. When I wasn't admitted, I was driving to New Brunswick 3 times a week for special ultrasounds. I would have panic attacks when I didn't feel the babies moving and I spent most days wondering if today would be the day. God must have heard my prayers because I carried the boys to 29 weeks gestation. The doctors were amazed! On November 19, 2007 I gave birth to my identical twins via emergency c-section to save Lorenzo’s life.

Lorenzo weighed 2 pounds 1 ounce and measured 13" long at birth. He spent 4 1/2 months in the NICU before being released. He continued to have numerous issues after he left the hospital. My poor little boy battled multiple GI, respiratory and feeding issues and was dependent on O2 therapy for the first year of his life. He required physical and speech therapy and was diagnosed as “failure to thrive”. I was used to Lorenzo’s constant spitting up, but On September 5th, 2007 we woke up to find that something was very wrong with him.

He was throwing up in a different manner and he appeared to be disoriented and lethargic. My husband and I rushed Lorenzo to Morristown Memorial Hospital and our jaw hit the floor when they told us that Lorenzo had Hydrocephalus. I had no clue what that even meant because I couldn’t get past the fact that they wanted to operate on my little baby’s brain. Lorenzo had “Communicating Hydrocephalus” and would require a programmable shunt to help divert the excess CSF fluid away from his brain. Lorenzo made it through surgery with no complications and has done very well since. Looking back, I can say that I have never felt that kind of fear in my entire life.

Today, Lorenzo is a healthy 3 year old toddler. He loves music and his favorite thing to do is sing to Bon Jovi songs with his paper Jamz guitar. It is absolutely hysterical to watch. He sees his neurosurgeon once a year for a check-up and we are extremely grateful that he has not had any complications or revisions to date. He started preschool last month and his speech is taking off in leaps and bounds. His feeding issues are completely gone and he is now eating more than his twin brother! He is finally wearing age appropriate clothing and I can’t believe how quickly he is growing.

Lorenzo has been a fighter since the day he was born. He has been through so much in his little life, and what amazes me the most is that through it all, he has always been full of smiles and laughter. His spirit is absolutely amazing and contagious at best. He is a true inspiration to anyone that knows him and proof that miracles really do happen!!