IOWA CITY, Iowa — Max Schlee and his twin brother, Cooper, of Farmersburg, Iowa, had quite the chaotic entrance to the world at their local hospital.
“We barely made it to the operating room for the delivery, with Cooper making his appearance in the doorway before I could get to the OR bed,” says their mother, Jamie, who was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and preeclampsia and delivered the boys early, at 36 weeks. “Not to be outdone, Max decided to come feet first, 13 minutes later. Both boys were safely delivered, and we thought our adventure was over, but little did we know that this was just the start.”
The boys appeared to be healthy when they were born, but Max was referred to University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital after Iowa’s Newborn Screening Program flagged a rare inherited disorder.
Tests confirmed Max had medium-chain acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency (MCADD), which left untreated can lead to serious consequences including brain damage, coma, and sudden death.
Read Max’s story here.