Thanks to Children's Memorial,
Mulvill twins can grow up together

Emma and Madeline Mulvill came into the world together, but Emma’s heart condition threatened to keep the twin sisters apart.

Two weeks before their birth, a routine ultrasound indicated that Emma might have a heart problem. That same day, Children’s Memorial cardiologist Nina Gotteiner, MD performed a fetal echocardiogram and found a narrowed valve inside Emma’s heart that threatened to interrupt the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the infant’s body. Emma was fine while in the womb. After birth however, her condition would cause failure of the right ventricle, the pumping chamber of the lungs. Immediately after the delivery, Emma was transferred to Children’s Memorial where Drs. Steve Pophal and David Wax performed an emergency balloon dilation procedure that successfully widened the pathway to her lungs, resulting in near normal function of her heart.

Emma left the hospital a few days later and joined her twin at home. A second procedure performed a month later further widened the valve in her heart. Careful follow-up ensures that she continues to thrive. Emma and Madeline are now almost two years old and doing great.

“They share such a unique relationship that only a few are blessed with,” said Jessi, the twin’s mom. “If one of them is hurt, the other pats her and says, ‘ok, ok.’”

They enjoy dancing to their favorite music. “Emma has great rhythm,” said Jessi, the twins’ mom. Thanks to Children’s Memorial, they can keep dancing, growing and developing —together.

To continue to help children like Emma, Children’s Memorial looks to philanthropic funding, like planned giving, to enhance its programs and services. These generous commitments enable ever-increasing numbers of children to be served by the fine staff at Children’s Memorial. To find out ways that your support can help the hospital better serve families, contact Andrew Tiebert, director of planned giving, at 773.975.8745.