Born fighter

When Arianna Whitfield had her 22-week ultrasound, she was told her twin boys were growing normally and she could start spacing out her regular prenatal checkups.

But a month later, during her 26-week checkup, her blood pressure had spiked due to severe preeclampsia, and one of her twins had not grown at all since her last visit.

“I thought we would get some nice ultrasound pictures and then go home, but things went downhill fast,” said Whitfield, who had to undergo an emergency cesarean section that day at Baptist Medical Center South.

‘We don’t think he’s going to make it’

After twins Jack and Reed were born in August 2020 at Baptist South, the micro-preemies were immediately transferred to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Wolfson Children’s Hospital, where Whitfield was met by neonatologist William Driscoll, DO, with Nemours Children’s Health.

“Jack weighed less than a pound at only 15 ounces, and we were told he had less than a 50% chance of surviving. But he stuck around,” she said. “The first week, the boys were doing great, and everyone was so reassuring. Unfortunately, a week later, Reed came down with an intestinal condition known as necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), and then Jack got it.”

A severe, often life-threatening disease affecting premature or low-birth-weight infants, NEC happens when tissue in the mucus lining of the intestines becomes inflamed. Once diagnosed, many babies only live for a few hours or days. Those who survive often have lifelong neurological and nutritional complications.

Whitfield said Reed responded well to treatment and his intestines eventually healed on their own. But Jack’s took a turn for the worse.

"They called us at home and said, 'You need to come right now because we don’t think he’s going to make it,'" Whitfield recalled. "Jack was only about a pound at that point."

Rolling with the punches

When NEC is severe, surgery is often needed to remove the damaged intestine or bowel. The day Jack went into surgery was also the same day Whitfield and her husband, Joe, held him in their hands for the first time.

“That was probably the most frightening day because we thought we were going to lose him,” she said. “We kissed him on the head and off he went.”

Jack’s procedure, which was performed by pediatric surgical specialists with Wolfson Children’s Hospital, included placing a drain in his abdominal cavity to remove infected fluid and stool caused by NEC. About a month later, general surgeons connected part of his intestine to an opening in the belly known as the ostomy. A stoma or temporary plastic pouch was also created outside Jack’s stomach to divert waste from his intestine.

“He recovered well from those surgeries but then needed heart surgery for a heart defect called patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), which occurs when a blood vessel doesn’t close on its own after birth,” she said.

Reunited with his sparring partner

Even after all of that, Jack wasn’t out of the woods yet.

When he was about 3 months old, he came down with pneumonia, which caused one of his lungs to partially collapse. He also had some liver issues that caused his skin to yellow.

“At one point, they thought he might need a liver transplant, but by the grace of God, we didn’t have to add that to the list,” Whitfield said. “All of this was happening during the pandemic, and thankfully, the boys never caught COVID-19.”

After nearly four months in the NICU, Reed was discharged in early December. Jack remained at Wolfson Children’s on oxygen and was being treated for a blood clot.

A few days before Christmas, Jack went home for good.

“The NICU nurses taught us how to administer Jack’s twice-a-day blood thinner shots and answered any questions we had,” Whitfield said. “It was always comforting to know the boys were so well cared for while they were in the children’s hospital.”

Strong beyond his years

Over the past five years, the Whitfield twins have participated in a variety of comprehensive therapy services provided by Wolfson Children’s Rehabilitation, including physical and occupational therapy.

Reed no longer needs rehab services, but Jack has a mild form of cerebral palsy and still attends periodic PT sessions at Wolfson Children’s Rehabilitation Mandarin.

“The last time I saw Jack in the clinic, we were working on riding a traditional bicycle with training wheels, and he picked it up very fast,” said physical therapist Sharlene Williams-Velez, DPT. “I’m very proud of him and all his hard work to improve his gross motor skills. I can’t wait to see what he will achieve in the future.”

Added Jack’s pediatric occupational therapist, Melanie Vacchiano, OTD, “During the past few years, we’ve predominantly worked on fine motor skills and daily self-care tasks to promote independence and a successful transition to school. Jack was so determined and fun to work with.”

Jack also requires supplemental nutrition once a day via a feeding tube and is followed by dietitian Doretta Leung, RD, and pediatric gastroenterologist Katherine McGoogan, MD, both with Nemours Children’s Health.

Last year, the twins started voluntary prekindergarten together and recently were promoted to big brothers after the birth of a baby sister in January.

“Jack used to be very quiet and shy, but school has really opened him up a lot,” said Whitfield, adding that Jack loves to practice golf putting at home and play Nerf blasters with his twin brother. “He wants to be a police officer when he grows up. I’ve said many times that Jack is the strongest person I know because he’s been fighting since the day he was born.”

Is your child having difficulty with any physical, occupational, speech or feeding tasks? Pediatric therapists offer treatment for developmental delays, fine or gross motor challenges, acute or chronic medical conditions and more. For more information about Wolfson Children's Rehabilitation, call 904.202.4200.