Vlad P.
My name is Vlad, and since April, my beautiful wife Valentyna, our twin babies and I have called Good Samaritan Hospital our home. Let me share how our NorCal vacation turned into a Good Samaritan staycation.
We are originally from Ukraine. Two years ago, we escaped the war with our family and found refuge in Los Angeles. This past April, we decided to take a short trip to Boulder Creek to visit friends and explore the possibility of making the Redwoods our new home. We had no idea we would end up staying in the area for the foreseeable future.
On the second day of our trip, we were ready for adventure when we saw a pool of blood coming from Valentyna, who was 22 weeks pregnant with our twins. Terrified, we quickly searched for emergency care and found Regional Medical Center, which had excellent ER reviews, so we headed there. The staff did an ultrasound and let us know there were some concerns. They advised us to transfer to Good Samaritan Hospital for further care and additional tests.
At Good Samaritan, the team conducted another ultrasound and discovered that Valentyna’s cervix was 8 cm in length. This measurement indicated a high-risk pregnancy, particularly because she was carrying twins. We were informed that this situation required careful monitoring, as pre-term delivery could happen at any moment.
The team at Good Samaritan strongly recommended hospitalization to keep a close watch on the babies. Although we were frightened and hesitant, we made the difficult decision to stay. The care team also explained that in California, during the 22nd week of pregnancy, we faced a crucial choice: to fight for our babies or let them go.
We decided to fight! We were determined to keep them alive. We wanted to be able to hold our babies.
We left the hospital that night and returned the next evening for a steroid shot to alleviate Valentyna’s pain. After the follow-up, the doctor recommended admitting her, and we agreed.
That evening was the first of 93 days we would spend at Good Samaritan Hospital.
Goals were discussed with us and written on the chart in our room. The first goal was to get to 28 weeks, which would give our babies a much better chance of survival, though the risk would still be high. We were very concerned about hitting that goal. However, the wonderful nurses and doctors supported us every day, providing motivational speeches, celebrating each milestone and keeping us informed. Despite English being our second language — particularly challenging for Valentyna - everyone was incredibly patient with us.
We were overjoyed to reach the 28-week milestone and then set our sights on 32 weeks. The amazing Valentyna did it!
When she reached the 34th week, our doctor said, “You want those kids to be well done, not medium well.” We laughed, eager to keep our twin buns “cooking” until they were well done. Despite the tough process and Valentyna’s back pain, she remained positive and kept her beautiful smile.
The nurses and doctors surprised Valentyna with a baby shower, filling the room with decorations, sparkling apple cider, cheesecake, berries and many gifts. Valentyna was overwhelmed with emotion—such a gesture of love was beyond anything we could have imagined. In Ukraine, patients typically give gifts to doctors and nurses; here, the team showered us with kindness.
After that day, Valentyna’s pain became unbearable. She barely slept. It was week 35 - we had just eaten dinner - and the conversation was broken with a shattering scream of pain. We called the nurse right away, who contacted Dr. Sarah Lee. When she checked Valentyna’s dilation, it was clear that it was time for her suffering to be over and our “well-done” babies to come out.
Everything happened so fast. After 15-20 minutes in the operating room, we heard the first baby cry - our baby girl Adaline. A few seconds later, another cry - our baby boy Adam.
We are so grateful for Dr. Lee — she was confident and calm — and reassured us that she, and the team, would do everything possible to keep my wife and babies healthy. And they did!
I was able to hold Adaline for 10 minutes before she was taken to the NICU. She was so warm and full of love. I was overwhelmed with so many emotions of love, relief and awe – I can’t even describe it.
Valentyna saw the babies the next evening, and all her pain faded away as she was overcome with joy.
Valentyna is now feeling much better. She is feeding, pumping and visiting the NICU constantly. The NICU team has been just as wonderful as the team that cared for us for those three months, assisting with feeding, burping, diaper changes and more.
We cannot thank everyone at Good Samaritan Hospital enough. Our staycation exceeded our wildest dreams. You have been our family over the past few months and will continue to be as our babies grow strong. Your exceptional care saved Valentyna and our twins, and your kindness to me has been beyond measure. We are forever grateful and, in fact, have decided to make NorCal our permanent home.
Our family has grown from two to four, and our hearts are full of love. Thank you, Good Samaritan team!
