Chapter 1

in the beginning, there were two

The lives of Mollie and Jackie Singer began early one cold February morning, when their birthmother arrived at the emergency room complaining of the stomach flu. It seems she did not realize she was in premature labor, nor did she know that she was about to deliver twins! Furthermore, when the doctors in Labor and Delivery were notified by the E.R. that they were sending up a “Drop In,” (a pregnant woman with no prenatal history or care), they had no idea that the woman they were waiting for was about to have a multiple birth.  However, none of this mattered to Mollie and Jackie, as they were ready to make their grand entrance into the world and were not about to let the fact that they were three months premature and terribly underweight impede their exodus! And so, with great effort on their part and assistance from the doctors, Mollie, the first child, was born at exactly 2:00 AM. Twenty-nine minutes later, as the labor and delivery team was attending to the birth-mother, Jackie, the second child, a.k.a. “Twin B,” surprised everyone and made her presence known. The twin’s birth was very difficult on the impetuous and underweight newborns, but unbeknown to the girls, their biggest trials were yet to come, for the determined and steadfast spirit that propelled these infants into the world, was in fact the courage and strength they would need to survive the challenges they were about to face...and so their lives began.

Initially, following Jackie and Mollie’s birth, the doctors were exhilarated; after all, they had just successfully brought two new lives into the world. Therefore, soon after birth, the doctors left the delivery room and went to tell the birth-grandmother that she was the lucky grandma of not one, but two beautiful little girls, but instead of being greeted with tears of joy, the biological grandmother informed the doctors that they would be putting the girls up for adoption. In a heartbeat, the doctors went from elated to concerned. They wondered what would happen to the girls and worried that these very special little people, who had just spent months side by side, would be separated. Equally important, they knew that as preemies, Mollie and Jackie were at risk for health problems and now, there was no one to care for them!

Fortunately, the babies were oblivious to their uncertain beginning and while they lay in an incubator gaining weight and winning over the hearts of the Labor and Delivery staff, a doctor came to their rescue. You see, their adoptive father-to-be was the anesthesiologist who helped deliver the girls and although he was not supposed to be on call that night, he covered for a friend, which as miracle happen, put him in exactly the right place at the right time. When the doctor learned that Mollie and Jackie were going to be put up for adoption, he immediately asked that he and his wife, who just happens to be an identical twin, be considered as adoptive parents and the rest is history!

Instantly, Mollie and Jackie were overwhelmed with love and support from their new parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, brother, and sister; no longer were they alone, or was their future uncertain, God’s plan was unfolding exactly as intended.  To quote their mother, who believes the girls are truly a very special gift from God, “Mollie and Jackie were born with a depth of compassion and goodness well beyond their years, it is as though they were put on earth to bring joy, happiness, and comfort to every life they touch.” Mom went on to say that, “the girls are giving, humble, genuinely loving, and selfless young ladies and everyone is made better for having known them.” According to family and friends, their mom is right. Everyone who meets Mollie and Jackie recognizes that there is something very different about these young ladies. It is as if they are wearing blinders that prevent them from seeing anything other than good in others. Moreover, the permanent smile on their face complements the aura of joyfulness and peace that surrounds them. It seems that one of the greatest sources of pleasure comes from giving of themselves to help others in need. What most people don’t know is that they too, have been confronted with serious obstacles and interesting revelations in their short lifetime, but the inner strength that gives them the fortitude to help others, is the same moral fiber that allows them to handle their personal challenges with dignity and grace.

Chapter 2

an early introduction to adversity

The twin’s childhood started quite normal and is filled with wonderful and simple pleasures, like baking cookies with grandma, going shopping with mom and being the first ones each year to sit on Santa’s lap. Then, they turned four-years-old and without warning, life as they knew it was forever changed; this is what Jackie remembers.  “it was the morning of Wednesday, September 8, 1993 and for weeks Mollie had been sick and was getting weaker. This day was no different; Mollie was colorless and looking very frail. We were in the kitchen after breakfast and Mollie was drinking her third of fourth bottle of water, trying to satisfy her unquenchable thirst, when the phone rang. Cheerfully, Mom answered the phone, but soon we realized she wasn’t talking, we looked up and noticed that her eyes had welled up with tears and were fixed on Mollie. Finally mom spoke one word, “Okay,” and hung the phone up. Mom stood in the kitchen motionless, just starring at Mollie. The two of us looked at each other, a liltte frightened and softly said, “Mom?” but there was no reaction. After waiting what we thought was an appropriate amount of time and still not getting a response we yelled, “Mommy! What’s wrong?” Mom looked down at us, we had broken her trance and she was back in control. Now she was looking at me when she said, “Jackie, please get your jackets and get into the car; we have to get to the hospital, Dad is waiting for us. Mollie is very sick, but we’ll get through this, and Mollie will be okay!” It all happened so fast that neither one of us understood what mom was saying, or really grasped the magnitude of Mollie’s illness. We arrived at the hospital and throngs of people met us; the doctors whisked Mollie away and the next thing I knew my sister was lying in a hospital bed, bring poked and given shots. Our parents, aunt, uncle, grandparents, and all of our friends rushed to be with us. This was the first time we learned that close families and friends drop everything and rally around each other when someone is in trouble and in Mollie’s case, there were so many of us at the hospital that we needed our own waiting room! Somehow, everyone instinctively knew we were fighting for Mollie’s life. Up on the pediatric ward, the “clan” was trying to be strong for the two of us, especially for Mollie, but we could see that they were worried and that something was terribly wrong. Eventually, the doctors left Mollie’s room and mom and dad told us, “Mollie has Juvenile Diabetes.” Those words were so big we couldn’t even say them; all we heard was the one word that started with “die.” We had no idea what they had just said, or what it meant, but the grave look on our parent’s faces made it clear that Mollie was in big trouble. We later learned that Mollie’s blood sugar was supposed to between the numbers of 80 to 120, but her blood sugar was 799! Mollie remained hospitalized for the next ten days, as the doctor and diabetes educator did their best to give us a quickie course in diabetes management, which was short for...lessons on how to keep Mollie alive!”

FACING THE FEAR AND ACCEPTING THE CHALLENGE

Over the next year, everyone in the family came together and helped Mollie understand and cope with her disease. She fought resolutely to regain the weight she had lost prior to her diagnosis, but she was still terribly underweight and very frail. However, her spirit was strong and as a family, they learned together how to manage Mollie’s unusually demanding disease. In time, Mollie also understood what she needed to do to stay alive and she bravely settled into her regimented life of endless finger pokes, multiple daily shots, and calculated meals, with a daily routine of measured, but limited activity; this was her life 24/7/365, but she was fortunate in that Jackie was with her every step of the way. If Mollie needed to test, Jackie got the tester and poked her fingers right along side her sister. If Mollie’s blood sugars was low, Jackie volunteered to get her juice. When Mollie needed a shot, Jackie learned how to check the syringe for accuracy and how to give the shot to her sister. Together, they were a very determined, focused team and everything seemed to be getting back to normal. However, as the one year anniversary of Mollie’s diagnosis of juvenile diabetes approached, the family learned that Mollie had to face yet another grave condition, but this time the problem was even more frightening, Mollie needed Open Heart Surgery! 

Chapter 3

THE LONGEST NIGHT OF OUR LIVES

According to Jackie, “Mollie’s Open Heart surgery was the most frightening experience of our lives.” It began the day the cardiologist told the family that Mollie needed heart surgery, but the seriousness of her illness didn’t really sink in until the night before Mollie was admitted to the hospital. Jackie recalled, “It was bedtime and Mollie got in and was lying between Mom and me. As usual, Mom read us a book, sang us a song, and helped us say our prayers, but thoughts of what the morning would bring made it hard to pay attention. Mom turned off the lights and continued to lay with us. No one was talking, but gradually I realized that Mollie was trembling and crying. She said, ‘Mom, I’m soooo afraid.’ We held Mollie as tightly as we could without breaking her. Mom reached for a tissue and dabbed Mollie’s tears as she kissed her on the cheek and assured her that everythingwould be okay. She told Mollie that she loved her and me, more then anything in the whole wide world and if she could trade places with her she would do it in a second. Then, Mom looked at Mollie and said, ‘It’s okay to be afraid and its okay to cry, but know that God is with you, He will keep you strong and protect you. We will all be with you and now is the time for the doctors to make you well; you need the surgery so you can do what you want without feeling tired. Moll, you’re going to be okay and this surgery will make you healthier and stronger, soon you’ll be able to play like your friends.’ Mollie buried her face in mom’s shoulder, but I was looking at mom. Luckily, Mollie couldn’t see the tears mom fought so hard to control, nor could she see how mom’s heart ached with every word of encouragement she offered. For the longest time, we all laid silently holding on to each other and as Mollie settled down mom softly whispered, ‘Honey, God is always with you and He will make sure your Guardian Angels are with you the entire time, they will protect you from all harm.’ Mollie just held onto mom and me, her tears still soaking her pillow. Eventually, she started to drift off to sleep; she was physically and emotionally drained; this was far too much for a five-year-old to handle. When I thought she finally fell asleep I whispered quietly, so as to not wake her, ‘I love you Mollie’ and then, holding her hand, the two of us fell asleep to the sounds of classical music softly filling the air.

A few hours passed, but it felt like we had just fallen asleep when the next thing I remember the alarm was screaming in our ears. It was 4:00 A.M. and we needed to get dressed and make sure Mollie’s blood sugar was okay before her surgery. After checking to be sure Mollie’s blood sugar was around 200, the best range for her to have surgery, we struggled to get out of bed, putting on the clothes we had laid out the night before. Somehow, we finished getting dressed and dad gave us a kiss and hug and left to get to the hospital ahead of us to make sure everything was ready when we got there. Mollie headed for the car while Mom and I made sure we had everything she needed for her hospital stay and then we headed for the hospital. I remember when we left the house that we were so tired our eyes wouldn’t open. Making matters worse, it was still dark outside and we couldn’t understand why we were going to the hospital at night if they were doing the surgery in the morning! When we arrived at the hospital, I went with Mollie and mom, to help her get changed into her hospital gown and then mom and Aunt Mama, our mom’s sister, took us to the play area to keep us busy, but neither one of us felt much like playing, we were too anxious. Before long, dad and a nurse found us and gave Mollie a small cup of orange medicine to drink, I think it was supposed to make her less nervous; I don’t know if it worked, but by the look on Mollie’s face, it sure tasted awful!

Finally, it was time for dad and the doctors to take Mollie to surgery, everything in me tried to hold on to her, to stay with her, but the doctors wouldn’t let me go any further. As Mollie was wheeled through the doors to the operating room she disappeared from sight and I remember my arms were still extended and reaching for her. I turned to mom, buried my face in her jacket, and hugged her as tight as I could; for the first time in our lives we weren’t’ together, we were separated and I felt so helpless. The only thing that was reassuring was the fact that since our father was a doctor, I knew he would stay with Mollie until she was asleep. The surgery began and hours passed, mom and I walked and paced up and down the halls of the hospital and round and round the waiting room. Dad remained in the O.R., but would occasionally call mom on her cell phone, with updates. No one said anything; we just sat or walked, as though we were in a library…never saying a word. What went unsaid, was that everyone knew how serious and risky the surgery was for Mollie, especially since she was a diabetic, but no one talked about the “what if’s,” for even though we were frightened, we had our faith. I knew God would watch over Mollie and send an army of Guardian Angles to be with her and I was so grateful for this, for as I look back I know that besides my family, it was our faith that kept all of us strong. In the end, Mollie and her Guardian Angles proved to be an invincible team, as Mollie’s surgery went exceptionally well and without any complications.

Chapter 4

THE RECOVERY

Hours after the surgery had begun, they rolled Mollie out of the O.R. and into the I.C.U. At first, I was extremely upset, because I wasn’t allowed to see her, but mom and dad explained that they were worried about me seeing Mollie hooked up to so many intimidating machines and tubes and even though I disagreed, I loved them and begrudgingly gave in to their wishes. I waited three agonizing days before I saw Mollie, but then, on the day most of the tubes were removed, mom finally let me go in and see her. I was so scared I was shaking, I didn’t know what to expect, but I knew Mollie had to be much more frightened than I was, so I acted brave and cheerful. Luckily, my Guardian Angels walked me to her bed, for there she was, her skinny little body lying in a huge hospital bed with tubes hooked to IV’s and monitors sounding alarms; I was terrified. I looked at her and as she turned her head to look at me, I saw tears rolling down her cheeks. I knew she was in excruciating pain, but still she found the courage to smile and say ‘Hi Jack.’

Over the next few days, Mollie got better, but still she was in terrible pain she couldn’t even sit up by herself. She needed help doing everything including blowing on the pinwheel to strengthen her lungs and I wondered in awe how she could be so brave at such a young age; she was such an inspiration. Every morning, between 6:00 and 7:00, mom and I would go to the hospital and stay with Mollie all day and long into the night. Dad was working there, so he would pop in between cases and stay with Mollie during overnight. In the morning, we took over again, so dad could get ready for work. Our grandparents and aunt and uncle constantly rotated in and out of the hospital so, as mom would say, we could “stretch our legs.” Somewhere between eleven and midnight, whenever dad was finished, we switched places with him and we went home, as dad settled in for the night in the bed next to Mollie. By the fifth night, shortly after we left the hospital, I gave into the trauma I had been living. I remember leaving the hospital with mom, getting into the front seat of the car eating M&M’s…that was always a treat. Mom let me sit in the front while Mollie was in the hospital, probably so I would not think about being alone. Anyway, mom helped me put my seatbelt on and it seemed like she no sooner got in the car, closed the door and started the engine, I began to sob uncontrollably. Mom desperately tried to calm me down, she turned off the car and unstrapped my seatbelt and held me and just let me cry, she told me later she was wondering when I would “blow.” We sat in the parking lot all by ourselves and it felt good to have mom wrap her arms around me so tightly that I could hardly take a deep breath. Finally, I began to settle down and I looked at mom and said, ‘Why can’t God give me some of Mollie’s pain, she can’t take anymore and I don’t mind…it’s my turn.’ Mom hugged me tighter than before and told me that everyone in the family wished they could take her pain away, but for whatever reason, it wasn’t meant to be and that we had to trust in God. It was good to cry and finally tell someone what I had been thinking, but I still prayed that He would let me take some of Mollie’s pain. Eventually, mom felt comfortable that I was calming down. She started the car again and as we pulled out of the parking lot, I looked up to Mollie’s room and I told her I loved her, and then I said a prayer.

A week after the surgery, Mollie was doing much better, but she was going stir crazy locked up in her hospital room; the doctors wouldn’t let her do anything and she could only go to the small play room on the pediatric ward, which had terrible toys! So, mom and our aunt, our mom’s identical twin, conjured up a scheme to break Mollie out of jail, it was the old ‘twin routine!’ I got into Mollie’s pajamas and stayed with my aunt in Mollie’s bed, while mom convinced the nurses that she was “the aunt” and was just giving me, Jackie, the healthy twin, a ride in Mollie’s wheel chair. When the nurses left their station, mom snuck Mollie on to the elevator, and then took her outside for some fresh air. They were gone about a half-hour and in the meantime, the nurses kept checking in on my aunt and me, and smiled. When the real mom and the real Mollie got back to the room, we slipped her back in her bed, as I changed back into my street clothes. The walk and time alone with mom was great for Mollie, she was like a new person, still in pain, but smiling much more. In the end, the hospital staff never knew about our devious plot and we certainly weren’t going to tell!”

Chapter 5

THE AFTERMATH AND FORGING AHEAD

Mollie’s surgery was a huge success and her diabetes was pretty well under control, but the two medical crises in Mollie’s life took a severe toll on both the girls. Mollie’s surgery was physically and emotionally debilitating and required months of bed rest, as well as, a year without any form of physical activity. Therefore, even though Mollie wanted Jackie to go out and play, Jackie promised Mollie that she wouldn’t learn to do anything like ride a bike or take ballet lessons, until they could learn how to do things…together. By the time Mollie recovered and was ready to be a normal child again, she was almost six years old. As Mollie and Jackie re-visited their childhood they were still in Kindergarten, busy with Brownies, and wanting to play sports, but emotionally, the girls weren’t the same. They found it difficult to be carefree, due to the serious nature of their ordeals. Looking back, Jackie and Mollie realized that dealing with adult health problems at such a young age brought about a metamorphosis in their personalities and somewhere between 1993 and 1995 they became different “little people.” The bright, lighthearted little girls with the contagious giggles had evolved into a more mature, disciplined, responsible, and frequently serious set of twins, but they wanted their old personalities back, they wanted to be children. It is difficult to imagine that they, especially Mollie, had endured so much adversity before she ever entered the first grade, but they had. These experiences gave both Mollie and Jackie an inner strength and they knew that changing back into positive, cheerful kids wouldn’t be easy, but Mollie and Jackie were determined to take back their childhood.

It took years for the girls to “lighten-up” and regain their confidence and exuberance, but with determination and the love and support of their family and friends, Mollie and Jackie have successfully become outgoing and self-assured. The girls said, “We can’t dwell on the past, or waste time feeling sorry for ourselves, we have to focus on the future; life is too precious and there is so much we want to do. As for a cure for diabetes, there will be one; medical research is advancing rapidly and we truly believe a cure will be found. In the meantime, we intend to stay healthy, lead a positive and fulfilling life, and do whatever we can to be an inspiration to others. As a matter of fact, we agree with the very wise Sir Winston Churchill, who once said, ‘The pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, where as the optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.’ Diabetes and open-heart surgery were not only challenging events in our lives, but also presented us with many opportunities. Besides, we are so fortunate; we have our faith, our family, and our friends and with these blessings come love, support, and encouragement; we can conquer the world!”

Just Kidding....

there’s so much more to tell...

COMING...SOON! :]