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Keeping a
promise
One-year-old
twins Sawyer and Harper Lemley
couldn’t be more different.
Sawyer, the observer, is content to lie back and take in his
surroundings, while his sister, the overachiever, maneuvers
around the room to different toys and attempts to stand with
the help of the living room ottoman. The baby boy’s gummy grin
boasts a single tooth, while Harper can claim seven pearly whites.
Hovering nearby is their big brother, Preston, 4, the helper.
“When the babies are crying, he’ll step in and make them
laugh,” says mom Sara. “It always works.”
“He’s a good diaper fetcher and a good backseat driver, too,”
dad Michael adds.
The Lemleys glow when talking about their children — even
about the one who is there only in spirit.
Remembering Mattie
The Lemleys’ journey to having a family started in 2010, when
the couple conceived twin boys, Preston and Matthew, or Mattie.
“It was a beautiful pregnancy,” Sara says. “I had no
difficulties until 24 weeks.” Mattie wasn’t growing as quickly
as his brother, and Sara had to have an emergency C-section
at only 27 weeks. Only three weeks later, they lost Mattie to a
condition called necrotizing enterocolitis.
Torn with grief yet grateful for the support they received
from family and friends, the Lemleys sought a way to let
Mattie’s memory live on. From the tragic loss of their son,
Mattie’s Promise was born.
“We made a promise to bless as many families going through
similar situations as we could,” Michael says.
The nonprofit organization helps to meet the financial,
emotional, and physical needs of families with babies in
neonatal intensive care, including those at Methodist Mansfield
Medical Center. Recently, Mattie’s Promise donated two
MamaRoo
®
infant seats to the hospital, along with gas station
and restaurant gift cards.
A truly perfect pregnancy
With Mattie’s Promise growing, the Lemleys decided they
were ready to grow their family as well. In 2013, Sara became
pregnant with a second set of twins, Harper and Sawyer. Again,
it started as a perfect pregnancy. But this time, it stayed perfect
to the end.
“We went to 37 weeks, which was our goal and full-term for
twins,” Sara says. “And we got to deliver at Methodist Mansfield.
Hands down, that is where we wanted to have our babies.”
The Lemleys had already had great experiences at the
hospital — like the time Preston broke his nose and went to
the emergency department. This time was no exception.
“Everyone was so very amazing, so kind and caring,” Sara
says. “We were able to connect to every nurse and doctor
because they were just so openhearted.”
Their dynamic doctor duo
Contributing to that experience were Sara’s OB-GYNs, Marian
Zinnante, MD, and Sara Northrop, DO, both on the medical
staff at Methodist Mansfield.
“We would follow them to the ends of the earth,” Sara says.
When delivery time came, both doctors were present.
“Twins are always a high-risk pregnancy, and with a previous
preterm birth, there was increased concern,” Dr. Northrop says.
“From the very beginning, we had Sara in with a maternal-fetal
specialist. Later in the pregnancy, we administered steroids to
advance the twins’ lungs in case of early delivery.
“Sara actually did wonderfully throughout the pregnancy.
Even her delivery was extremely smooth, and she was able to hold
and keep the babies in her room pretty much right after delivery.”
Life carries on
The Lemley family’s journey has not been easy, but it is full of
sacrifice and love.
“Since Preston came home four years ago from the hospital,
he’s been thriving, growing, learning, and loving his life, just as
a 4-year-old should,” Sara says. His little brother and sister are
following in his footsteps.
And as for Mattie, he lives on through his parents’ mission.
“We started just to help here or there, but it’s turned into
such an outreach,” Michael says. “And for me personally, it’s the
promise that we did make to Matthew.”
Methodist Mansfield has helped the Lemleys welcome and honor their children’s lives
Methodist Mansfield Medical Center
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Spring 2015
13