Late term abortion was never an option for this mom. If Heather Garrity had taken doctors’ advice more than 18 years ago, her twin sons would not be graduating from high school, would not be celebrated as top students and athletes, would not be choosing between top colleges, and would not be here to hug their mom.
“A lot of it is luck…hard work has paid off and we’re grateful for the opportunities,” said Ethan Garrity.
But the real credit perhaps belongs to Heather who refused to abort her twin sons when she was 22 weeks pregnant. The infants suffered from twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). This condition affects identical twin pregnancies when babies share a placenta and blood flow to the babies becomes unequal. The condition can put babies at risk for early delivery, neurological damage, and more.
But God has big plans for these twins. Jeremiah 1:5 says: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
With 5.0-grade averages and numerous colleges pursuing Ethan and Dominic, it’s obvious that the doctors were wrong.
“I’m currently debating between Harvard, one of the academies I was accepted to, the Naval academy, West Point, the Air Force Academy, Berkeley, UCLA, and Johns Hopkins University,” Dominic told CBS Sacramento.
“I applied to 24, got into 15. My top 5 were Air Force Academy, Harvard, Dartmouth, Berkeley, and UCLA,” said Ethan.
Great advancements have been made in the area of treating Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome. According to Children’s Hospital of Colorado: “Time is critical when it comes to treating TTTS. The earlier this condition is caught, the more easily it can be treated. Many treatment options can be started within hours or days of diagnosis. There are a variety of treatment options for TTTS, including medication therapy, needle drainage of amniotic fluid, and laser treatment of the connecting blood vessels.”
TTTS occurs about 15 percent of the time in identical twins. And the condition is not a risk for fraternal twins.
Of course, Ethan and Dominic are grateful for the choice their mother, Heather, gave to keep them alive. And so is the entire community of Grass Valley, California, who are celebrating these awesome young men.
