The new year has brought both joy and heartache to a young Tennessee family.
On Dec. 30, Sgt. Charles Gaytan and his wife, Kayla, welcomed naturally conceived quadruplets into the world, WKRN News 2 reports.
But how long their mother will have with them, doctors are not sure. Before the quadruplets were conceived, Kayla was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, according to the report. The young mother said she went through five months of chemotherapy and was in remission. Not long after that, the couple was overjoyed to learn that they were pregnant.
Here’s more from the report:
Already a mother-of-two, the 29-year-old was excited to tell her husband Charles, a Fort Campbell soldier.
“She called me on the phone, and we’re in a Humvee and I kinda couldn’t really hear her,” recalled Charles. “It was truly some of the best news I’ve ever gotten in my life.”
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Over the course of her pregnancy, Kayla said she had no real complications.
“My original goal to make was 34 weeks because I figured if I could beat cancer, surely I could make it to 34 weeks with quads,” Kayla said. “I just kept trying to tell myself that I could do it.”
About a month ago, she again started noticing symptoms of her cancer.
A biopsy then confirmed her fear that it had returned.
In situations involving multiples as well as those involving cancer, abortion often is suggested to families as an option. However, the family never mentioned even considering it in the local news report.
Kayla persevered and made it to 30 weeks when the quadruplets were born. Lillian, Victoria, Michael and Charles weighed between 2 pounds, 8 ounces and 3 pounds, 2 ounces at birth, the report states. They currently are growing in the neonatal intensive care unit, and doctors expect to send them home within the next two months, the family said.
In two weeks, Kayla also will begin undergoing treatment for her cancer. She said doctors plan to have her do a 16-month round of chemotherapy. She said her chances of survival in the next five years are about 50 percent.
Devastated by the cancer news, the Tennessee family said they are not giving up hope.They said they are trusting in God to handle the situation.
“We know that He’s gotta have a different plan up there for us, and surely everything’s gonna work out in the end,” Kayla said.
