Support for Amelia and Elhora Dell's Medical Needs

***Please see update below***

My name is Patrick Dell and I am fundraising on behalf of my son and his wife. In the near future, my twin granddaughters will be born at Northside Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. Under normal circumstances, we would be preparing for the arrival of these sweet girls (Amelia and Elhora) by purchasing matching outfits, double strollers, and side by side cribs. Unfortunately, these are not normal circumstances. Matthew and Breana were presented with the shocking news during Thanksgiving week that they were having twins, but they were conjoined. Their plan for a home birth was thwarted.

As the months have progressed, there have been numerous doctor appointments. These have included multiple ultrasounds, fetal MRIs, and a myriad of tests. The conclusion is that the twins cannot be successfully separated after birth. In addition, the specialists have determined the likelihood of survival outside the womb is extremely small.

I am so proud of Matthew and Breana and their willingness to trust God with the pregnancy and their decision not to "terminate" the lives of their daughters back in November. Even though they long to spend time with these little darlings outside the womb, they trust God in His sovereign control over life and death of every human being. Their decision comes with a significant financial burden. This young couple has been married for less than three years and are still paying off their medical bills from the birth of their firstborn son from October 2022.

We ask that you prayerfully consider helping Matt and Bre with a financial donation to help pay the continuing and growing financial burden associated with the pregnancy, delivery (via C-Section), and memorializing of their sweet baby girls. We are thankful that "Mia" and "Ellie" have each other during this time. They are healthy and active while they are safely nestled in their momma. This may be the only life they are granted here on this earth. Nevertheless, they are deeply loved by their parents, grandparents, and every other person associated with their family. Thank you for your consideration and willingness to help during this challenging time.

Here are additional details below that Breana shared via social media.

Breana's post from 2/15:

TWIN UPDATE:

As some of you have heard, we have a c-section scheduled for February 29th at 6:45am. We will get to meet our little leap year babies in just 2 short weeks.

This is earlier than we had anticipated as it will be a 32 week delivery. This is for my safety. Since they both have to come out at the same time, this could potentially cause some complications. I had an appointment today and there doesn’t appear to be any reason for concern and we don’t want that to change! Please continue to pray that the procedure and recovery goes smoothly.

Matthew and I are blown away by the love and generosity of those all over the world. Thank you all so much for everything you have donated, every encouraging word you have sent, and every prayer you have prayed for us. You all have blessed us more than you know. The Lord has been gracious to surround us with his love and grace during this difficult time.

Breana's post from 11/23:

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” - Proverbs 19:21

Matt and I are having not one but TWO BABY GIRLS I’ve always heard that daughters are special but ours have definitely made sure that we know just how special they are.

On Thursday 11/16, we found out that we were not just having identical twin girls but that they were conjoined at the chest/abdomen region. To find out you’re having twins is shocking enough but this, this really rocked our world. We had made so many plans already. Plans to do things so differently with this pregnancy and delivery and all of that changed in a matter of seconds.

This is not common by any means. We have so many questions that are unanswered. We appreciate your prayers and words of encouragement. We will definitely be needing it moving forward. Right now we just need a little time to process things and figure out our next steps. This has been so so hard already. We know the Lord is in control and whatever the outcome, it will be good because He is good.

We are so excited to be adding 20 fingers and toes to our family. We are so excited to be having BABY GIRLS They are so very loved already.

Breana's post on 1/18:

TWIN UPDATE:

I know it’s been a while since I have said anything publicly about the twins, but it has taken this long to get all of the necessary testing done to give us a for sure answer about our babies. It has also taken this long to have peace about the information we’ve been given.

Unfortunately, we have been told that the girls will not be able to be separated and that likely means that they will not survive after delivery.

Those of you who got our Christmas card know that their names are Amelia, which means “Work of the Lord” and Elhora, which means “my God is my Light”.

Amelia and Elhora have a complete fusion of the atrium and ventricles of their hearts. They beat as one heart because they basically have one giant heart. This is why they cannot be separated. Elhora also appears to be missing her pulmonary arteries, which is what carries blood back to the lungs, meaning she will not be able to breath on her own after delivery.

Matthew and I know that we serve a big God who can do whatever he wants and maybe give us more time with our babies than we anticipate, but God has also given the doctors the knowledge that they have now to give us the answers and outcomes that we’ve been given. While we are devastated that they do not get to come to their earthly home with us, we know that they just get to go back to their heavenly home and be with Jesus again - which is immensely better.

Some specific things that everyone can be praying for if they desire:

• That Matthew and I would continue to trust God with this process even though we still have fears and questions and continue to lean on each other in this difficult time.

• That recovery would go smoothly and quickly so we can get home to Dallas. I will be having a classical c-section to deliver the twins. This can be a harder recovery than a transverse c-section and I do not look forward to that.

• That we can all get some sleep. Dallas has not slept through the night since we found out about his sisters. He has dealt with some sickness which of course gets us out of a routine but he is also watching how Mama and Dada respond and deal with this sensitive situation. We don’t think it’s a coincidence that he has struggled with sleep since then but that also means Matt and I don’t get sleep, which can make coping harder.

• With the previous statement being made, that Matt and I would be aware that we have a tiny human that watches us and is also sensitive to how we respond.

We know so many people have been praying for us already and we appreciate all of you. There have also been so many to ask what we need, as needs arise, I will reach out. I imagine many needs will come after delivery. We do not have a set delivery date but we expect it will be sometime in March. I know there are still many questions but this is such a unique and rare situation that there may not be answers or it may take more time to figure it out. If there is any new information I will try to do better about posting here. I know lots of people care about us. Feel free to share this post with others, we need as many prayer warriors as we can get.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11