Two Tiny Fighters: A Family’s Unexpected Battle for Hope
Nothing prepares a mother for the moment her babies arrive too early.
And nothing prepares a family for the fear that follows.
On November 30th, Erica’s world changed forever when her twins made their entrance—far too soon—at just 31 weeks. Before she could even hold them for more than seconds, the delivery room filled with urgency. Nurses, doctors, monitors, rushing footsteps… and then the heart-shattering moment every parent prays they never face:
The twins needed to be flown immediately to the NICU in Sioux Falls.
As Erica lay in her hospital room in Brookings, still recovering, still bleeding, still exhausted, her babies were already miles away—fighting for their fragile first breaths. She hadn’t even been discharged yet when she began making frantic calls, rearranging her photography clients, putting everyone else first, even as her own heart broke wide open.
Because that’s who Erica is.
A woman who gives, even when she is the one hurting.
Meanwhile, Cole stood beside her, juggling work obligations on his laptop, taking calls from the hallway, trying to hold himself together while spending every second he could with the twins in the NICU. Their planned maternity and paternity leave disappeared overnight. Their lives turned upside down in an instant.
Inside the NICU, the world moves differently.
Time stretches.
Every beep matters.
Every breath is a prayer.
The twins—two tiny miracles—now face a minimum 6–8 week stay while their organs find the strength they were born without. Baby boy has already endured a procedure on his eyelid and has had complications with digestion due to an early infection. Both babies are fighters, wrapped in tubes, wires, warmth, and hope.
Every day brings new updates.
Some good.
Some terrifying.
All of them exhausting.
Erica and Cole sit beside incubators instead of a crib at home.
They whisper to their children through plastic walls instead of rocking them to sleep.
They take turns working on their phones and laptops, because life doesn’t stop even when your entire world is sitting inside two tiny NICU beds.
And as January 1 approaches, their insurance resets, adding another layer of weight on their already overwhelmed shoulders. Twin delivery… helicopter transport… ongoing NICU care… weeks of treatments. It’s a mountain most people cannot imagine climbing.
But Erica and Cole climb it anyway—every single day—because that’s what parents do.
They fight.
They hope.
They hold on.
Their twins are loved.
They are prayed for.
They are surrounded by a community that cares deeply.
This season, more than anything, what this family needs is strength—emotional, spiritual, and human. And your prayers mean more than you could ever know.
As the twins continue their brave fight, this story is one that will stay with you… because it reminds us what true love looks like:
A mother who pushes through pain.
A father who balances fear and responsibility.
Two tiny babies showing a courage bigger than their little bodies.Their journey is just beginning.
And you’re invited to read their full story—one that will touch your heart and remind you what miracles really look like.
