Austin twins, who survived harrowing birth, now rely on hospice care for sickest brother
The Campos twins — despite being more than 1,400 miles away from Austin at the time — were born over Texas soil.
Their father, René, made sure of that in 1995. During a previous trip, he collected some Texas soil in a zip top bag and brought it with him to Pennsylvania, where he placed the rich dirt under the Pittsburgh hospital bed as Cody and Casey entered the world.
“When nobody was looking, (René) took it out of his bag or pocket or whatever, and he put it underneath the bed,” the twin’s mother, Phyllis Campos, told the American-Statesman.
“I don't remember if he surprised me with that. I was so out of it that I might have not known what was going on,” she added, laughing. “It's something that he, Cody and Casey have.”
The Campos family is part of the Statesman’s Season for Caring program, which highlights the needs of families in our community and helps hundreds of others through local nonprofit organizations. The Camposes were nominated by Hospice Austin, which is providing end-of-life care for Cody.
Read more: A smile is worth a thousand hardships for Austin mother of twins | Season of Caring
The timing of the twins' cesarean section also was unexpected.
At 19 weeks, a sonograph revealed the twins had twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, a rare prenatal condition in which identical twins share a placenta and a network of blood vessels. The condition can cause complications, often resulting in a premature birth.
When the issue was detected, Cody had three times the amount of amniotic fluid than he should have, Campos said. Casey, on the other hand, had virtually none and was two weeks behind in development.
After the C-section at 32 weeks, Cody and Casey weighed 3.5 and 2.5 pounds, respectively. Both had prolonged stays in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit. Phyllis Campos said she immediately thought of her first child.
“It was scary, having already had a very healthy daughter who was 9 pounds (at birth),” she said. “When the twins were born, they were only 6 pounds together.”
The twins are now 28 years old, but Cody has never spoken or been able to stand or eat independently. He must be “spot bathed” because his gastrostomy tube — a feeding tube that runs through his belly to bring nutrition directly to his stomach — cannot be submerged in water. A string of respiratory health issues and weekslong hospital stays in 2022 resulted in Cody starting hospice care.
Learn more: 12 families featured in the 25th Season for Caring program. Here's how you can help.
Their biggest wish was to receive a Hoyer lift to help caregivers lift Cody. That dream came true on Dec. 9, when Hospice Austin picked up a Hoyer lift from Suzanne Allen. Allen donated husband Clinton's lift to the Camposes after using it only a half a dozen times before Clinton Allen died in March from dementia.
"I know what she's going through," Allen said of Phyllis Campos, who was lifting Cody to take care of him.
The family still has some little things on their wish list: gift cards for Uber or Lyft to help Casey get to work at H-E-B, help with caregivers, balls for Cody to throw, restaurant gift cards, clothing for Casey and a jacket for Cody.
To find out more about the Campos family or to give an item on their wish list, contact Hospice Austin, 512-342-4700 ext. 4726, hospiceaustin.org.
About Season for Caring
The Statesman will be sharing the stories of all 12 Season for Caring families throughout the holiday season. Find more stories and information at statesman.com/seasonforcaring. You can donate online or use the coupon on Page 2B and mail it to Austin Community Foundation, c/o Statesman Season for Caring, 4315 Guadalupe St., Suite 300, Austin, TX 78751. Make checks payable to “Statesman Season for Caring.” Now through Dec. 25, all monetary donations will be matched up to $500,000 by the Sheth family.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Season for Caring: Hospice Austin care for twin with cerebral palsy
