18 Mar 1 in 40 Million Odds Hit a Jackpot at Roanoke House
Already the parents of a 3-year-old son and a 1½-year-old daughter, a positive pregnancy test in the fall of 2024 led Boston-area residents Rachel and Marco Vargas to believe they were expecting their third child. But during Rachel’s first ultrasound, the astonished sonographer went suddenly silent before putting a hand on Rachel’s shoulder and saying, “There are four of them.”
Identical quadruplets occur only once in every 40 million pregnancies. The stunned couple began planning for what was to come. Little did they know at the time that Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central and Northern Arizona (RMHCCNAZ) would play a significant role in their lives within just a few weeks.
In early November, doctors diagnosed twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) in two of the babies, a condition that can be fatal. The couple found a Phoenix-based specialist in higher-order multiples, and with their babies’ lives at stake, boarded a flight to Arizona. Expecting to be hospitalized immediately, the couple arrived in Phoenix to find out the TTTS had stabilized and didn’t require surgery. While the news was a relief, a new problem emerged – where would they stay?
Finding Comfort at Roanoke House
“We were expecting to be in the hospital, and all of a sudden we were outpatients far from home where we knew no one,” said Marco. “We had no friends here, no resources. We put feelers out to sites like Airbnb, but nobody was interested in renting to folks from out of town for an indefinite period of time.”
The couple was starting to panic when a nurse connected them with RMHCCNAZ, where they discovered a home-away-from-home and a haven to rest and prepare to grow from a family of four to a family of eight with the support of a caring staff – and reassurance from other parents of hospitalized children.
“Medical challenges can be so disorienting, isolating and lonely,” Marco said. “But at Roanoke House we met other families going through their own difficult journeys. Sharing meals and conversations with people who truly understood us was incredibly comforting.”
In December, Rachel was hospitalized for preterm labor. Marco spent the next seven weeks balancing time between the hospital and RMHCCNAZ.
“Ronald McDonald House was my place to decompress,” Marco said. “I could work remotely, eat a home-cooked meal and have a moment of normalcy before heading back to the hospital.”
Four Babies, Four NICU Rooms
On January 24, Rachel gave birth to Sofia, Filomena, Veronica and Isabelle at 30 weeks gestation – a major milestone for quadruplets. The girls were admitted to the NICU in separate but connected rooms. Marco returned home to the east coast to care for their son, Walter, and daughter, Stella. Rachel spends her days in the NICU and returns to RMHCCNAZ each night to recharge.
“Everything in the NICU is beeps and buzzes and walls without windows,” said Rachel. “It’s such a relief to come back to Ronald McDonald House where I can have natural light, take a shower, do laundry and do all the things that make me feel like a human being. It gives me hope that my whole life isn’t just ensconced in the hospital for months on end.”
A Home Until They’re Ready
It’s March and the quadruplets are growing stronger, but their discharge dates remain uncertain. Some may go home sooner than others, but thanks to RMHCCNAZ, the couple doesn’t have to worry because they can stay as long as necessary. It’s like hitting a jackpot.
“One of the hardest parts of this journey is not knowing when we can bring them home,” Rachel said. “But Ronald McDonald House gives us a safe place where we can take things one step at a time. When Marco brings the older kids to meet their baby sisters, they’ll have a playground to play on, warm meals to enjoy and a safe place to stay.”
Marco puts it simply: “I don’t know how we would have pulled this off without Ronald McDonald House.”