Bryan and Stacey were thrilled to discover they were pregnant with triplets.
Not only that, but they soon learned that Stacey was pregnant with identical triplets.
The odds are one in every 70,000 for triplets, and one in a million for identical triplets.
Luckily for Stacey, her pregnancy went well. She delivered all three baby boys, and they appeared healthy. She named them Mason, Logan, and Dylan.
But less than a month after their birth, Dylan started experiencing difficulty breathing, and became increasingly weak.
Shortly after, the other two twins began to experience the same symptoms.
“They were so limp,” said Dr. Edward Fernandez, director of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Ministry St. Joseph’s Hospital. He treated all three triplets, and spoke to WSAW about the case. “It’s like picking up a rag doll, it was just loose.”
Doctors were at a loss of what could be wrong with the twins.
First, they thought it was botulism, as the symptoms were similar, but all of their tests showed up negative.
They were tested for infectious disease, metabolic abnormalities, and were given MRIs, but they couldn’t find a cause for their symptoms.
Meanwhile, their condition worsened. The boys began to have seizures.
Doctors had one last resort—they took spinal fluid from the boys, and sent it to the CDC in Atlanta. There, they got their answer.
Dr. Brian Chow a pediatric infectious disease specialist, said, “The test came back positive for Human Parechovirus, type 3. It’s generally transmitted through contact with respiratory secretions or in a manner called fecal oral, or from contaminated surfaces.
It’s difficult to detect human parechovirus, though it’s common.
The doctors believe that it was their status as triplets that it was possible to diagnose them. They would have lost too much blood if they couldn’t perform tests with the blood of all three.
"I kind of feel like they saved each other," said Stacey.
It’s possible the triplets will suffer neurological damage in the future, but it’s too early to tell. For now, they’re getting treatment, and their parents are just happy to have them all alive.
