Advertisement
Rachel and Steven Park, 39 and 37, respectively, had been trying to have kids for the past six years. They tried doing IVF three times, but only succeeded on their fourth try.
Six weeks into Rachel’s pregnancy, doctors confirmed that she would be having triplets. Rachel and Steven were both “over the moon.”
Over the course of the next three months, doctors monitored Poppie, Mollie, and Evelyn’s health – but were unable to keep them from arriving prematurely on March 11 after only 26 weeks of pregnancy.
The three girls were immediately placed in incubators and ventilators for support, but doctors warned Rachel and Steven to “prepare for the worst.”
As the weeks passed, the triplets’ health was very much touch and go. Some days were better than others and other days looked bleak at best.
After many weeks, all three of the girls finally weighed 14 pounds each and doctors were hopeful that they could soon be taken off oxygen and tube feeding.
Finally, at long last, just a couple weeks before Christmas, doctors gave the family the all clear. The girls – Poppie, Mollie, and Evelyn – were all allowed to return home with their parents for their first holiday season.
This was, Rachel admitted, all she and her husband had wanted for Christmas that year.
“Our girls have been on a huge journey so far and because of that we're going to make sure their first Christmas will be extra special,” Steven said. “We were so scared that they may not make it this far, and will therefore be really celebrating the festive season.”
On December 27, just two days after the beautiful holiday, however, police were called to the Park’s home. A woman in her 30s had suffered from a sudden death.
Rachel Park had passed away.
Her death is still unexplained, but police say it is not suspicious. Investigations are still ongoing. The Park’s local community is now trying to raise money to support Steven in raising his three little girls, alone.
