Nicole’s Story

National Catholic Register: Mother of conjoined Twin Girls Who Chose Life Remembers Her Babies 'Wonderfully Made'

Article appeared in National Catholic Register | By: Nicole LeBlanc | Photo Credit: National Catholic Register

All human life – including unborn life – is sacred and irreplaceable, no matter the circumstances, diagnoses or opinions surrounding it.

While I always believed this fundamental truth, I experienced it in a transformative way when I became pregnant with conjoined twin daughters whose lives were, tragically, discounted by thousands of people – including medical professionals and social media onlookers.

As a newlywed, COVID-era bride, I was used to “unexpected” things, like rescheduling venues and finding last-minute vendors. Despite the challenges, my husband and I fought for ­(and had) our ideal Catholic wedding.

That experience increased our faith that God would continue providing for us as we pursued our dream of becoming parents.

Negative test after negative test dulled our spirits, yet also deepened our prayers as we begged God to entrust us with such a precious gift.

We finally got the second pink line, but shortly after, severe nausea hit. Despite my excitement that we had finally conceived, intense sickness and weight loss left me fearful that something wasn’t quite right.

National Catholic Register: United in Prayer, Bound by Loss: How a Social-Media Post Led to a Powerful Bond Between Two Mothers

Article appeared in National Catholic Register | By: Nicole LeBlanc

The day her cancer returned was the same day that I got the official diagnosis that I was pregnant for the first time with conjoined twins, two girls who shared one heart and would die shortly after birth. I was just 10 weeks pregnant when I learned they were fused at the chest, sharing a heart, liver, diaphragm, bowels and umbilical cord. I refused abortion even when the doctors said my life was at risk.

Jessica was pregnant when she was diagnosed with cancer and she also refused abortion and trusted in God. Miraculously, her son was born perfectly healthy despite her receiving chemotherapy while pregnant. And also, miraculously, after her pregnancy she was cleared of cancer.