Cape Town - Robert and Chantal Emery’s life could easily pass for a scene on a Hollywood set.
There’s a sense of a family thriving at their Constantia Kloof home. It grips you. So does the energy of their chirpy, three-year-old daughter Scarlett, her cheeks rosy as she navigates the house.
There’s a warm conversation going on between the father and four of his seven children, as his paraplegic wife sits in her wheelchair, smiling and throwing in a joke or two.
But the Emerys’ lives are no movie.
Theirs is the harsh reality of being unexpectedly blessed with three miracles – three baby boys fighting for survival at the Life Flora Clinic in Roodepoort.
Almost two months ago, 34-year-old Chantal prematurely gave birth to Harvey, Daniel, Gabriel and Bradley, who later died.
Their 13-year-old brother Joshua’s face lights up as he recounts how he had to play midwife to his stepmother on the morning of June 28.
“I remember sleeping and having a weird dream. In the dream, someone was chasing me. All of a sudden, I was woken up by Chantal calling my name. Scarlett ran into my room and insisted that I quickly come and see,” he says.
He will never forget what happened next. Chantal, who is paralysed from the waist down, held out a nappy. On it was a tiny baby. Seconds later, three more babies emerged and, as Joshua puts it, they “slid on the floor”.
“I remember Chantal sitting down and holding the children close to her. She told me to fetch blankets in the linen cupboard down the hall. However, I thought blankets would not work so I grabbed the towels instead and ran back to her. She covered the babies to keep them warm.”
The birth was a surprise, as Chantal hadn’t felt any contractions. The babies were only supposed to be born on September 22.
Soon, Joshua was on the phone calling for help.
Fortunately, just then, Rob arrived home.
He explains that the first thing he saw was his usually bubbly three-year-old standing in the bedroom doorway, shell-shocked.
“I’ll never forget the look on her face. She was standing there alone. Her eyes were somewhat teary. It’s as if she was in a trance. I told Josh to put on her favourite DVD to keep her calm, while I tried to figure out how I was going to cut the children’s umbilical cords.”
But Chantal ’s gynaecologist, who was on the phone by that time, would have none of that. It was too risky. All Rob had to do was get his wife and children to the hospital.
Chantal says she kept her composure while giving birth but burst into tears when she saw her husband.
Joshua recalls his stepmother’s heartbreaking plea to her husband: “Please save them, even if one of them lives.”
Sitting in the lounge, Joshua says the most poignant moment for him was holding his brother Bradley in his arms. Bradley is Joshua’s second name. He was born first and his umbilical cord snapped during the birth process. He was the first to arrive at the hospital, tightly held by his big brother, after they were driven there by their Ouma and Oupa.
Sadly, two weeks later, the grossly underweight Bradley succumbed to complications. Just as the family had gathered in numbers on the day he was born, so they gathered at the hospital on the day of his death.
For Joshua, who held Bradley in the first moments of his life, the pain of losing him is unbearable.
The family says major adjustments have had to be made to care for the premature babies. For instance, they have found themselves racing back and forth to the hospital, to see the boys.
“It’s been quite busy. I’ve been travelling between the house and the hospital,” says Chantal, who has been preparing for the boys’ arrival home.
Estate agent Rob’s daily routine includes him waking up at 5am when he hurries to drop off the boys’ breast milk at the hospital for their 6am breakfast.
Chantal couldn’t be happier as she’s had a chance to give her babies the nutritious milk.
“I can’t breast-feed them yet, as they are too young to latch on.”
Rob also drives Joshua to school in Hyde Park and walks his two daughters Justine and Danika – who are in Grades 5 and 6 – to their school nearby, before heading to the office to start his day.
Before finally going to bed, he does a last round at the hospital.
“People at the hospital see you are strong but don’t realise that it can be hard at times,” says Rob.
Still, after weeks of living on oxygen, the boys this week made exceptional progress. They began drinking and could be bathed and wear clothes for the first time.
While Daniel and Gabriel are still on ventilating machines, their parents can hold them in their arms. Chantal also carries them in a “kangaroo pouch”, which is thought to help premature babies thrive.
The family are, however, not the only ones that dote on the boys. Nursing staff at Flora clinic are inseparable from them.
“They can’t get enough of looking at them. They’ve come up with ways to tell them apart and go as far as predicting the careers they might follow, growing up. It’s fun for everyone,” Rob says.
Danika, Justine and Joshua have picked out who they are going to look after when the babies come home but still have difficulty telling them apart.
Rob and Chantal are well aware of the responsibility that awaits them when their sons come home.
“We’re busy with a fundraiser organised by family and friends for September 12. We’re looking at buying a bus that will accommodate the nine of us, including the nanny we’ll need for the boys,” says Rob.
And it doesn’t end there. The family are considering adding two bedrooms to their house.
Chantal and Rob maintain what they have gone through has strengthened their bond.
The couple met by chance in 2009, shortly after Chantal had a car accident which left her with permanent physical damage. A friend one day suggested they go to the restaurant where Rob worked as a manager.
“I remember how he came to my table and pretended that his foot hurt just so that he could talk to me.
“After two glasses of wine, I asked if he could accompany me to my school reunion… we met later for coffee and the rest is history,” smiles Chantal.
She looks at her husband lovingly and jokes that, had she known life would turn out this way, she would never have signed up. Her husband describes their relationship as a roller-coaster that keeps getting better and better with every ride.
While the family may not be ready for a reality TV show called Keeping Up with the Emerys, they have warmed the hearts of many with their resilience and story of hope and courage.
A sigh of relief
The Emerys have something more to celebrate. After much anxiety, Rob and Chantal last week received the news that their medical aid TopMed would continue to cover their children and pay their mounting hospital bills.
In July, the couple said they had been informed by TopMed it would not be paying full medical cover for Daniel and Bradley, who weighed less than 1kg at birth. Their siblings Gabriel and Harvey had at the time just managed to pass the 1kg mark, qualifying them to receive cover as per the company’s policy around premature babies.
At the time Rob expressed his frustration, saying he didn’t understand why he and his wife were expected to foot a bill of about R1 million, after an insurance broker had placed his children on the wrong medical aid option.
“We are happy TopMed has come to the party and are grateful to them because this means our children will receive the full care they need,” he said.
They had been told by the company the cover would include ventilating machines and other essential services. These would be paid for under the scheme’s prescribed minimum benefits.
Harvey, who is off the ventilator, could be coming home soon. His mother said he first needed a series of check-ups.
The Emerys plan on changing their option with TopMed.
“The option we initially signed up could help us for future medical cover, as the boys still have a long way to go,” Rob said.
Weekend Argus
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