Fort Drum spouse fights for life after delivering premature twins
By Rebecca Madden, Watertown Daily Times, N.Y. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Within just a few days, the story of
"They thought she was gone about four or five times,"
Sgt. Hinman said the couple found out in January they were expecting, and both were ecstatic, since they had been trying for some time. They were shocked when they learned they would have twin girls.
Late February and into March Sgt. Hinman, 30, said his 26-year-old wife became ill, but the couple likened some of the symptoms, which had included vomiting, to something that would soon pass. A few days later, in their
Sgt. Hinman, of the
He called 911. The Hinman's twin girls were coming, at just 30 weeks. There wasn't enough time to drive to
Sgt. Hinman, said Mrs. Hinman met her daughters, but Kinleigh and Azlynn were immediately sent to
Mrs. Hinman was scared and crying. She didn't even get to hold her children.
"The doctor said, 'Something's wrong,'" Sgt. Hinman said. "I had to make the decision to put her in a medically-induced coma because she couldn't breathe on her own."
The next morning, "Dr. Rumsey promised me they'd test for any known thing out there," Sgt. Hinman said. A computed tomography scan reveled a group of tumors in the uterus. They had a diagnosis: choriocarcinoma stage 3.
According to MedlinePlus, a service of the
Mrs. Hinman is receiving chemotherapy treatment.
Dr. Rumsey made contact with Crouse, and Mrs. Hinman was sent there
The medical team at Crouse got right to work, he said. They've also been in contact with a specialist in
"They've never treated it like they have for my wife," he said. "They said they've never seen it in their lifetime. The ICU doctors and doctors' team tell me every day it really is unbelievable and my wife is a miracle and no way she should have survived this long. It's all like a bad dream I can't wake up from."
The bad dream is in real time, as Sgt. Hinman said he's lucky if he's able to sleep two hours each night.
Several times a day, he said, he talks to his wife, telling her all about Azlynn and Kinleigh, and encouraging her to keep fighting. His first moments as a father are shared with Mrs. Hinman in spirit, he said, from the NICU. Most newborns have skin-to-skin contact with their mother after birth, but Sgt. Hinman has taken that role. He said although he visits his babies up to a dozen times each day, every night he tucks them in his shirt and cuddles them.
As soon as he talks, they open their eyes and wiggle around, he said.
"They know me," Sgt. Hinman said.
The girls could be in the NICU for as many as eight weeks, but they've already remarkably improved, he said. They no longer need breathing tubes, and are starting to put on weight. Azlynn was just 3.6 pounds at birth, and Kinleigh was just shy of three pounds.
Intense mixed emotions surround him, Sgt. Hinman said. While he is his wife's and daughters' rock, his family, friends and thousands of strangers have become his foundation. He contacted the
"It was definitely a burden lifted off my shoulders," he said. "She's my life. God gave her the patience with anyone. She saved my life."
Now, he's trying to save hers.
Nearly six years ago he went out with buddies in a bar near his hometown of
"My three girls are in ICU," he said. "No matter what happens, my girls still need me."
He said he can't wait for the day his wife really gets to meet their baby girls.
"My hope, which I know because I know my wife, is she's going to stand up and she, my girls and me are going to walk out of here as a family," he said. "Seeing how the people have been, I hope people realize there are good people out there. You're not alone, especially in bad times. You just have to keep breathing."
That support network comes largely from a part of the "Prayers for Jenna" Facebook page, and the GoFundMe website, he said. Strangers have left well-wishes and both small and large monetary donations. All funds, he said, will be "very well spent on good things and for my children to start a good life."
Money also will help cover many hotel stays, food and travel expenses, and medical costs not covered by insurance, he said. The online fundraising site was started by Mrs. Hinman's uncle
For more information, visit the
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