Doctors told Katie Sturm when she was a girl that she would never be able to have children of her own because of a health problem. So it was already a surprise when she found out she was going to have her first child. But what happened in the years after that was even more amazing: she got pregnant again, but this time with not one but four kids. But their happiness quickly turned to shock when they found out that she had a brain tumour.
It was one surprise after another for the Sturm family.
Katie and Chris Sturm were overjoyed when they found out they were going to have a baby. They already had a wonderful son, Ryan Alexander, and were so excited about adding to their family that they could hardly keep it together. But their joy quickly turned to shock when they found out they were having four babies. But that was just where their story began.
Then, Katie got a terrible diagnosis. Because she had a brain tumour, her pregnancy was even more dangerous.
The mom-to-be who was pregnant needed brain surgery.
Katie, who was expecting quadruplets, had to have a dangerous surgery on her brain. Dr. Toral Patel, her operator, was surprised and worried when she first heard what was going on with Katie. Even though things were hard, Katie showed so much strength and drive that even her doctors were impressed.
At first, doctors planned to wait to remove Katie’s brain tumour until after she had given birth. When Katie had her second seizure, though, they knew they had to move right away. Chris, Katie’s husband, was scared for the safety of his wife and their future children during this time.
But Katie’s surgeon, Dr. Patel, was amazed by how brave and strong she was in spite of all the fear and doubt. And after a hard, dangerous surgery, they were able to remove the tumour, which made Katie and her family feel better.
Katie’s doctor said about those times, “She has dealt with it better than anyone could have expected. She’s very special.”
“They are a blessing,” mommy said after she had four babies.
Even though Katie had to go through a lot, her four babies were born healthy. And here’s the best part: they were born without any help from fertility treatments. Only one in every 700,000 pregnancies is a quadruplet pregnancy.
But that’s not all. Katie also said that when she was a teenager, doctors told her that because of a health problem, she would never be able to have biological children. Still, she had not one, but four healthy kids. Yes, you never know what life has saved for you.
This really was a miracle.
Katie was so happy when her quadruplets, who each weighed between 3 and 4 pounds, were born. It was more than she and Chris could have ever wanted, especially since the boys came a few weeks early. She couldn’t believe how wonderful it was that all four of her babies were healthy and doing well. Those two are so cute!
Katie’s doctor, Dr. Patricia Santiago-Munoz, couldn’t believe that Katie had normal quadruplets and was diagnosed with glioma at the same time. She said, “I’m pretty sure that a single person having both natural quadruplets and a glioma at the same time during pregnancy has never happened before and may never happen again.”
Even though things were hard, Katie and Chris felt very lucky to have 4 healthy children. Chris said that there is no manual for raising quadruplets, but they were glad for the task and the joy that their children brought them. It was, at the very least, a fun and very difficult journey. Check out these other stories to see how nature works in mysterious ways: