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Twice
the Care
K O O T E N A I ’ S D E V E L O P I N G N E O N A T A L
I N T E N S I V E C A R E P R O G R A M I S K E E P I N G
F A M I L I E S C L O S E T O H O M E F R O M T H E S T A R T
By Andrea Kalas-Nagel
CHAD AND BRIONN TRIPP FINALLY HAVE A
complete family with three beautiful boys—
Evan, 21/2, and the newest additions, Shea and
Chase, born May 3, 2012. You would never
know by looking at these happy, healthy little
boys that they spent 16 days in the Kootenai
Health neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
All three of the Tripp boys are adopted, a process that
can sometimes take years to complete. Finding the right
agency, filling out the paperwork and trying to find the
right match are challenges faced by all couples who look
to adopt. On top of that, it can become more challenging
to adopt the second or third time around. This is why
Brionn and Chad were surprised when just a fewmonths
after reapplying for adoption they received a call saying
they might have a match—with twins.
S E E I N G D O U B L E ?
“In 25 years the agency we use has only seen two sets of
twins come through,” Brionn said. “Twins are a magical
experience. So when we got the call just a few weeks
before the twins were born, I was excited but wary.”
The Idaho Youth Ranch had been working with birth
mother TracyAllen, who was having a hard time finding
a match for her twin boys. She wanted parents who had
adopted before and enjoyed the outdoors. Everyone felt
it was fate that Allen saw the Tripps’ portfolio.
“I panicked slightly when we heard that she chose
us for the boys,” Chad said. “We had started preparing
the room but the realization of having to double a lot of
what we have was daunting. But Tracy is an amazing
and selfless girl.”
“I am extremely blessed to have found them,” Allen
said. “I am so thankful to have found such great parents
for the boys.”
Just a little over a week after choosing the Tripps, Allen
gave birth to Shea and Chase at Kootenai Medical Center.
The boys were in the hospital for 16 days total. Both were
on antibiotics, and Chase needed the assistance of a CPAP
(continuous positive airway pressure) machine for five
days while he healed from a lung infection.
S T I C K I N G T O G E T H E R
The Kootenai Health NICUwas able to keep both of the
boys for treatment, thanks to some recent advancements
in neonatal care.
“In the old days, we would have had to split up
the twins, sending one to Spokane and keeping the
healthier one here,” said Kathleen Webb, M.D. “Now
that we have our NICU program, we could take care
of both babies and keep the family together. Chase
needed some specialized respiratory treatments that we
did not have here at Kootenai until recently.”
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