By Deb Kroon
Review staff writer
Eric and Marissa Marten are about thirty-two weeks into the pregnancy of their unborn twin boys. With three children at home; Mersaydes, who is 10, Ramsey, 3 and Eve who is one, they will be an exceptionally busy family once the boys are born.
At Marissa’s twenty week appointment, everything looked good for the boys until the sonographer ( the specialist who looks at the ultra sound) noticed that Twin B’s heart wasn’t quite right. Their doctor in Sioux Falls diagnosed the problem as Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS). The Martens made plans to go to Rochester to get a second opinion.
HLHS is a birth defect that affects normal blood flow through the heart. As the baby develops during pregnancy, the left side of the heart does not form correctly. In any child, HLHS occurs by chance, with no clear reason for it’s development..
In Rochester, the HLHS diagnosis was confirmed and the Martens met with part of the team of doctors and nurses who will be caring for Marissa and the babies. She will go to Rochester to stay very soon, as the doctors want her there in case of an early labor. They would like to see Marissa go to 37 weeks, but there are chances of early labor as with all twins. She is fortunate to have her sister Shanna Altrichter and husband Andrew volunteer their home for the Martens to stay with them while in Rochester. This is a major blessing as it will cut out the expense of a room before and after the babies are born.
Once the twins are born, as long as things go well, the babies will be able to stay together most of the time. Within 3-4 days, but before a week, Twin B will have his first surgery. This surgery will reroute the blood flow to pump his blood adequately. Marissa and the boys will remain in Rochester for at least a month after their births to allow Baby B to heal after his surgery and to allow close access to his heart team. Twin B will have his second surgery anywhere from 4 to 8 months of age, depending on how he is doing, and his third surgery will happen by the time he is four years old. Eric and Marissa are very pleased and confident in the doctors they have met and know they will be given the best care possible.
The near future for the Martens is full of tubes, cardiac appointments and trips to Rochester and Sioux Falls. A group of people that includes Marissa’s brother Kenny Granstra and his wife Erika; Eric’s sister and her husband, Holly and Jason Sieve; a close friend, Ashley Yeske, along with Eric’s mother, Sue Koob, are pulling together to put on a benefit for Marissa and Eric to help alleviate some of the expenses the Martens will incur in the next months. On Sunday, February 24th, this group will be hosting a pancake and sausage breakfast, bake sale and silent auction at the Adrian Elementary School commons and gym from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. “It’s so hard to plan for something like this,” Marissa’s brother Kenny told me. “We are hoping for about 500 people. We’ve been advertising the benefit on the Worthington radio stations, the Nobles
County Review and on Facebook. Ashley set up a “Go Fund Me” page for the twins as well as the Facebook page with updates from Marissa.” He went on, “Some of the items on the silent auction will be gift baskets and gift certificates from individuals from all around the area, Worthington to Sheldon. We will have a Green Mountains pellet grill on the auction. I don’t have a complete list of all the items yet, as I will be picking them up this week. People have been so willing to help.” If you have something you would like to donate to benefit the twins, please feel free to call Kenny at (507)360-8020, or drop it off at the Elementary Gym on Saturday evening, Feb. 23, or before 10:00 a.m. Sunday morning. All donations are appreciated.
“We were chosen to experience this for a reason,” Marissa concluded. We are doing our best to keep our spirits up. We feel the prayers and support of so many people. It is a wonderful blessing, very humbling. You never realize how much you need people until you do.”
You can show your support for the Marten family by attending the benefit on Sunday, February 24, at the AES commons and gym from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. If you can’t make it, visit their “Go Fund Me” page- “Half a Heart, Twice the Love” on behalf of Marissa Marten. You can also join the Marten Twins update group on Facebook to keep up with the latest news.
