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t m c » p u l s e | m ay 2 0 1 7 24 De Luna and Vasquez watched all the com- motion in horror. They stood beside Nora, trying to keep her from noticing the smoke rising from behind the curtain around her midsection and the smell of burning flesh as the doctor cauterized the C-section incision to stop the bleeding. They were so frightened, sleep deprived, and emotionally wrecked that it didn't even dawn on them that it was Christmas Day. It was a Christmas miracle; the twins were out of the woods. In the weeks that followed, the couple was able to take home two healthy babies and introduce them to their big sister, Vivienne. Finally, their family was complete. "The level of respect for what Nora's done and for anybody who is willing to go through this is crazy," de Luna said. "What word do you use to describe that? The bond is definitely thicker between us." Parenthood Most new parents experience feelings of self- doubt and high stress, and Vasquez and de Luna are no exception. After all, they're juggling three kids under the age of 2. But every penny, every IVF attempt, every sleepless night and every moment that went into building this modern family was worth it. "I know that, biologically, the twins are not my blood, but I'm here," de Luna said. "When Enrique travels for work, the sleepless nights DAN L DUNCAN C O M P R E H E N S I V E C A N C E R C E N T E R DIANA HELIS HENRY AND ADRIENNE HELIS MALVIN MEDICAL RESEARCH FOUNDATIONS 2017 JOINT LECTURE SERIES IN CANCER RESEARCH Stephen J. Elledge, Ph.D. Professor, Medicine, Harvard Medical School Gregor Mendel Professor of Genetics and of Medicine, Genetics, Harvard Medical School Professor, Genetics, Brigham And Women's Hospital Contact: Amy Craft amy.craft@bcm.edu "THE ROLE OF DNA DAMAGE RESPONSE IN TUMOR SUPPRESSION AND AGING" Baylor College of Medicine Cullen Auditorium Tuesday, May 16, 2017 3:00 PM Reception in Rayzor Lounge to follow are mine. Those are my memories with my chil- dren. Nobody's going to tell me how Evan likes to be rocked to sleep. Nobody's going to tell me how Lilienne likes to be on her own when she's being fed. … Those are things that I know." For both de Luna and Vasquez, children are the culmination of a lifelong dream. "Whenever I would hang out with everyone at a barbecue with my family, we'd be out there and my nieces would come out and say, 'Hi, uncle!' But when they'd see their mom or their dad, they'd be like, 'Hi, dad! I love you!' and they'd hug them," Vasquez said. "I'd never bring this up with anyone, but I would say, 'I want that.' I have that now. I have somebody who's going to run to me or to my husband … and say, 'Dad, dad!' Give me a hug first. Give me all that emotion and love first! That's been the most rewarding experience ever." It's been a long road to happiness for the couple. At different points in their lives, they were convinced it wouldn't be possible for them to have children. But here they sit, on their living room sofa, wiping the twins' mouths as they watch Vivienne amble around the house "like a tiny drunk human" with a half-eaten Oreo cookie in her hand. It's overwhelming. It's challenging. It's messy. It's family. Adrian de Luna holds a photograph of Vivienne at the hospital a day after she was born. There's nothing in this world we could ever give her for what she gave us. — ENRIQUE VASQUEZ