BROTHERS IN ARMS
WITH THREE YOUNG SONS and twins on
the way, Josh and Crystal Marshman already
had their plates well and truly full. But when
they received the harrowing news that their
unborn babies’ lives were in jeopardy, their
world was thrown into upheaval.
Already mum to sons Ryan, 9, Sam, 6,
and Lachlan, 3, Crystal Marshman was
taking pregnancy with MCDA (identical)
twins in her stride when she went for a
routine ultrasound at 22 weeks pregnant
and was told her babies had severe twin
to twin transfusion syndrome, which
meant they were sharing big blood
vessels in the placenta.
“Theirs is what’s called a donor twin
and a recipient twin,” explains Crystal.
“Isaac, our donor, was giving all of his
fluid and blood and nutrients to Jacob,
the recipient. It’s a double-edged sword –
Isaac’s giving everything away so he’s not
growing and struggling to live, while Jacob
is overloaded with fluid and blood, which
can cause heart failure.”
The couple flew to Sydney, where they
spent five long weeks – with Josh sleeping
on the floor of Crystal’s hospital room – as
she underwent treatment that included
a surgical laser intervention to split the
placenta and save the boys’ lives.
While successful, Crystal still needed
constant monitoring, so she was sentto Canberra Hospital. While closer than
Sydney, it was still three hours from their
Wagga Wagga home, so they welcomed
the opportunity to stay at Ronald McDonald
House Canberra.
Crystal’s pregnancy progressed far longer
than originally anticipated, but the boys were
born early at 31 weeks and one day, Jacob
weighing 1590g and Isaac just 1100g.
Despite having a congenital heart problem,
Jacob has progressed well. “He has some
vision loss but we’re working with our early
intervention team to get him moving along
as quickly as possible,” explains Crystal.
Isaac also continues to beat the
odds, steadily overcoming issues with
his undeveloped lungs and a bout
of pneumonia. “He’s crawling now,” says
Crystal. “He’s on oxygen but he pulls it o
every chance he gets.”
Throughout their challenging journey,
Crystal and husband Josh have been
exceedingly thankful for the security and
sanctuary of Ronald McDonald House
Canberra. “It’s an incredible place,” saysCrystal. “All up we spent around 110 days
in hospital. For me and Josh, being away
from our sons, our jobs, our friends, our
families ... our time at Ronald McDonald
House meant we never had to worry about
having a bed or food in our bellies. All of
our energy could go to other things – to
Jacob, to Isaac, to worrying about the
three other boys.”
Crystal has especially high praise
for the House’s volunteers.
“They’re amazing, they just know what
you need and give it to you,” she said.
Crystal also credits the House with
allowing her and Josh to meet other mums
and dads who are away from their families –
something she says has been
an incredible support.
“I honestly don’t know what we would
have done without Ronald McDonald
House,” she explains. “Besides the financial
practicalities, it allowed us to meet other
families who truly understood what we were
going through. We shared, and continue
to share, so much with them.”FOR THE FAMILY OF THESE LITTLE CHERUBS, RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE WAS A PRECIOUS HOME
AWAY FROM HOME UNTIL THEIR TWIN BABY BOYS TURNED THE CORNER AND BEAT THE ODDSSTORY:
ALANA WULFF
PHOTOGRAPHY:
KILEY BLATCH PHOTOGRAPHY
PLEASE DONATE TODAY IT’S SIMPLE
Without your generosity, Ronald McDonald Houses and other vital
RMHC programs have to turn away families in their time of greatest need.
Please help families just like your own by visiting rmhc.org.au/donateMain Image: The Marshman family
at home together in Wagga Wagga, NSW.Top: Jacob and Isaac are
best buddies. Bottom:
Isaac battled pneumonia at
the age of three weeks.