Rhode Island
Quadruplets discharged from Phoenix hospital; return home to Rhode Island
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Identical quadruplet baby girls and their parents are now back home on the East Coast after spending their first two months at a Valley hospital.
Rachel and Marco Vargas returned home to Cranston, Rhode Island, with four little bundles of joy. In January, the couple welcomed their identical baby girls into the world — Sofía, Philomena, Veronica and Isabel.
The couple traveled across the country for help with the pregnancy, seeking treatment from renowned multiple-birth specialist Dr. John Elliott at Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix.
“While it hasn’t been an easy journey, we’re thankful that we came to Banner and Dr. Elliott for care, and we can’t wait to share the milestones that will come with raising our beautiful girls,” Rachel said.
Dr. Elliott had never seen a pregnancy case like Rachel’s in his career. He said the chances of a pregnancy and delivery like Rachel’s were potentially around one in 40 million.
Two babies shared the same amniotic sac and had the umbilical cord inserted into the fetal membranes instead of the placenta, which could result in a 30-40% risk of death to the babies. Doctors say two of the babies were then diagnosed with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), where there is uneven blood flow between identical twins sharing a placenta.
“With all the complications involved in Rachel’s pregnancy, we were very candid about the risks and potential outcomes, but we also underscored the importance of having a positive outlook,” Dr. Elliott said. “I believe that played an important role in her successful case, along with constant top-class medical care throughout their stay in Phoenix.”
The doctor and his team helped deliver the baby girls at 30 weeks. They remained in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) under the care of neonatologists, nurses and respiratory therapists until they were healthy enough to be discharged in late March.
“It was such a privilege for our team to care for Rachel and her babies,” said Dr. Suma Rao, medical director of the neonatal ICU at Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix. “These kinds of pregnancies can be quite scary for the parents and family members, so we are thrilled that they are all back home now with their healthy girls.”
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The Rhode Island Blood Center is asking for donations after the fatal shooting at Brown University on Saturday.
Several donor centers have extended hours available as they respond to the emergency.
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Anyone interested can sign up for an appointment on the organization’s website.
PROVIDENCE — The Rhode Island Blood Center’s blood supply was low before Saturday’s mass shooting at Brown University, and it is immediately stepping up blood drives to meet the need, an official said Sunday.
“We were definitely dealing with some issues with inventory going into the incident,” Executive Director of Blood Operations Nicole Pineault said.
The supply was especially low for Type 0 positive and negative, which are often needed for mass casualty incidents, she said. Type 0 negative is considered the “universal” red blood donor, because it can be safely given to patients of any blood type.
Pineault attributed the low supply to weather, illness, and the lingering effects of the pandemic. With more people working from home, blood drives at office buildings are smaller, and young people — including college students — are not donating blood at the same rate as they did in the past, she said.
“There are a lot challenges,” she said.
But people can help by donating blood this week, Pineault said, suggesting they go to ribc.org or contact the Rhode Island Blood Center at (401) 453-8383 or (800) 283-8385.
The donor room at 405 Promenade St. in Providence is open seven days a week, Pineault said. Blood drives were already scheduled for this week at South Street Landing in Providence and at Brown Physicians, and the blood center is looking to add more blood drives in the Providence area this week, she said.
“It breaks my heart,” Pineault said of the shooting. “It’s a terrible tragedy. We run blood dives regularly on the Brown campus. Our heart goes out to all of the victims and the staff. We want to work with them to get the victims what they need.”
She said she cannot recall a similar mass shooting in Rhode Island.
“In moments of tragedy, it’s a reminder to the community how important the blood supply really is,” Pineault said. “It’s an easy way to give back, to help your neighbors, and be ready in unfortunate situations like this.”
The Rhode Island Blood Center has donor centers in Providence, Warwick, Middletown, Narragansett, and Woonsocket, and it has mobile blood drives, she noted.
On Sunday, the center’s website said “Donors urgently needed. Hours extended at some donor centers, 12/14.”
Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at edward.fitzpatrick@globe.com. Follow him @FitzProv.
Authorities said two people were killed and eight more were injured in a mass shooting at Brown University, an Ivy League school in Rhode Island. Authorities said students were on campus for the second day of final exams.
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