Sophie & Charlie are the true surprise of a lifetime! 

They have taught us immense patience, perspective, and hope. 

At 28 weeks, I went in for a routine ultrasound and was quickly admitted for delivery.  Our healthy twin pregnancy had quickly turned very high risk. 

Twin A (Sophie) had become extremely growth restricted and her placenta was failing, she needed to come out. However, we had another baby in the womb, to consider. We met our NICU team for the first time - going over every option, possibility and the very real and scary reality of premature delivery.

From that point on, every other day was filled with meetings between NICU, MFM, and my OB team, carefully deciding if we could safely go just one more day—hoping to give Charlie more time in the womb while Sophie continued to struggle. On the days we didn’t meet, I was very seriously tracking kick counts for Sophie, and making sure that was Twin A and not Twin B. Our goal was 30 weeks. 

We made it to 33 weeks, and the twins were born on June 23rd, 2025.

Twin A: 8:30pm — 3.5 oz

Twin B: 8:32pm — 4.8 oz

Once the twins were born, we spent 7 long weeks at Northwestern Memorial Hospital NICU. The care we received was nothing short of extraordinary. We had an unbelievable team that gave our twins a fighting chance. The days were incredibly humbling. Theres really nothing that will prepare you to hold your baby’s hand in an incubator or to hear the alarm go off when they stop breathing….and we had two. 

Eventually with enough time and endless strength, we watched Sophie and Charlie take their first breath on their own and we took them from a feeding tube to tandem breastfeeding. 

We were fortunate enough to finally bring home two healthy, thriving babies. I know firsthand, that is not the reality for so many families who walk through those doors. 

This foundation is deeply personal to us. The Jackson Chance Foundation provides complimentary parking and transportation support so parents can be with their babies every single day—removing a financial burden that can otherwise keep families apart during the most difficult time. 

The NICU was our home for 2 months. Every now and then I get a flashback….a smell, a sound, a random memory will put me right back in that room, in that moment. I look back with so much gratitude for the team that carried us through. We hope to give back to the place that brought us out of the darkest of days. 

with love ,

Chad, Karley , Sophie & Charlie