Since Elisa was a little girl, she had dreamed of the day she would be a mother. She had it all planned out: complete college by 21, get married by 22, and start having kids at 23. She completed her degree, went on to obtain a Masters in Counseling and Social Work and found a great job as a counselor at a local hospital. ( Florida Hospital at Lake Placid )

She fell in love and married at 29. She was eager to start a family but babies just didn't come. After over a year of trying to conceive, Elisa and her husband went to see a reproductive endocrinologist. He assessed them and determined that there was no way they could conceive without assistance and recommended In Vitro Fertilization ( IVF ). The cost of IVF was astronomical for a couple just starting out and with no assets, it seemed her life's dream would never come true.

There were a lot of tears at first but they refused to accept defeat. Elisa and her husband decided to work hard and save the money they would need for the procedure. They moved into a small RV and lived modestly. They worked two jobs and started saving.  It seemed to take forever but in 2004 Elisa was able to go through her first cycle of IVF. After the first cycle, she had 3 embryos inserted with the hope that one would take. The procedure failed so Elisa and her husband once again started saving for a second cycle of treatment.

By August  2005 they were ready for a second try. This time they were able to fertilize 6 eggs. They were much better quality embryos this time so the doctor had a conservative number - 2 - put back in. Elisa started doing home pregnancy tests one week later and soon she screamed with delight when the test showed positive. A blood test later confirmed that she was pregnant but with 9 times the normal levels of the pregnancy hormone. Based on this test the nurse told Elisa she might be having two babies but dismissed the idea that there could be any more.... after all, they only put two embryos in.

1 in 10 Million

Three weeks later Elisa had her first ultrasound. As she lay on the table her doctor immediately detected two sacs. She said, "Looks like twins." Elisa was so excited she could hardly contain her joy and let out a cheer. Seconds later the doctor announced that one of the embryos had split. "Triplets?" she questioned curiously.... Elisa's elation subsided with a muttered " Oh! ". Then came the bombshell: "What is this?" the Doctor asked. "Don't tell me they both split!" Elisa thought this was a terrible joke and  sat up on the table and said, "Tell me you're kidding." After a long pause the Doctor said, "No, I'm afraid you are having four babies. You are having Quads." Elisa laid back down slowly and began to cry. Hundreds of disturbing thoughts flooded her mind.  Her husband stood next to her blankly smiling. They were both in shock.

The doctor was speechless too. After a long silence she told them that this just does not happen.  Two sets of identical twins! Estimates on the odds of this occurring have ranged from 1 in 1 million ( Dr. Fuentes ) to 1 in 10 million ( Dr. Sharon Jaffe CRM).

High Risk

The doctor was open and honest about the high risk of this pregnancy. The babies are guaranteed to be premature and because of this there is an increased risk of complications and birth defects. The Doctor also said they could face entanglement, Twin to Twin Transfusion, or other complications that would mean death. She then suggested Selective Reduction, (abort one or more of the babies), to reduce the risks to both mother and babies.  Elisa, believing in God, has always been against abortion and now her beliefs were being put to the test. How could she afford to raise 4 babies? How could she deal with losing one or more babies? How could she deal with the challenges of having unhealthy children? Despite all her fears, Elisa felt called to be faithful and made the decision not to abort.

On her first visit to the perinatologist  the doctor also asked her if she wanted to reduce the pregnancy. Elisa told him she couldn't and wouldn't as it was against her religious beliefs. He explained the risks she faced - including increased chance of birth defects, complications, and miscarriage. He that she would have to stay in bed after week 18, take meds, and possibly be admitted early to a hospital. The goal was for Elisa to carry the babies until week 30, however Elisa made it to 32 weeks and 4 days.

Hope Restored 

Elisa had several emergencies and was twice rushed to the ER with hemmorages and she had a growing fear of losing the babies. Hope was restored when Elisa visited her perinatologist who confirmed that the babies were fine and that she still had a 70% chance of having four healthy babies. He also said she stood a better chance if there were fewer babies but admitted that doing a selective reduction increased the chance of having a miscarriage. To be safe, her perinatologist put her on bed rest and said she could not return to work. Now they only had her husband's income to live on and the Doctor bills, ER bills and medicine costs were starting to add up.

Elisa's viewpoint was that she would leave it up to God to decide if she is destined to have one, two, three, or four babies. She felt she did all she can to get pregnant and now it was up to God and the medical professionals.

It was a long journey but Elisa gave birth to 2 sets of identical twins, 2 boys and 2 girls, Hunter, Preston, Alexandria, and Gabrielle on 4/3/2006 ( 32 weeks 4 days ) at Florida Hospital in Orlando. While her odds of having quads may have been 1 in 10 million, her odds of having healthy babies were even more remote. Dr. Rawlings, neonatologist at Florida Hospital, hold the Ewings that their odds just approached the "billions" as he watched in amazement as her children flourished. He told the couple that the future was very promising for their 4 children. How was this all possible? Four babies from 2 embroys.... carryng the babies to 32 weeks and 4 days.... having four healthy babies? Elisa believes that help came from all of the prayers they received from others. When others discussed their concerns with her, she would respond that she just knew everything would be okay and she felt that assurance deep within her.

Elisa would like to thank everyone who included them in their prayers. "It made all the difference." she says.

How to Help

Elisa never imagined she would ever be in a position of asking for help. As a trained hospital counselor and social worker, her life's work has been spent helping  abused, neglected and abandoned children as well as working with the elderly. Now she is in a position like many of those she has helped over the years.

The cost of raising 4 children is astronomical - some estimate the cost will be upwards of 1 million dollars.  Any help that is offered is immensely appreciated. If you would like to help, please click on the link Gifts or click Donation to go directly to the donation page.

Thank you and God Bless you and your family.

Love,

Elisa Ewing and her family

Sebring Florida

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