Truly, 2017 has been “The Year of the Twin” at Humboldt General Hospital.
Since March 2017, HGH Family Practice/OB Physician Leonard Perkinson has
delivered eight sets of twins, with the latest delivery taking place Monday,
November 27, at the 118 E. Haskell Street facility.
As if that weren’t record-breaking enough, Dr. Perkinson actually
provided pre-natal care to two other mothers expecting twins this year;
however, both moved out of state prior to delivery.
“We had a total of 10 twin pregnancies this year,” said a smiling
Dr. Perkinson Wednesday during a “Twin Party” held in the
Mother and Baby Unit. Just four of the eight sets were available to take
part in the gathering, but it was still a delightful kind of chaos as
seven baby boys and one baby girl “posed” for pictures with
Dr. Perkinson and their mothers.
Following the photo shoot and lots of hugs and giggles from their attending
physician, the group enjoyed cake and plenty of well-wishes for the coming
months when all those babies begin to crawl, walk and then . . . heaven
forbid . . . run!
Samantha McKenzie started off the fun this year when she delivered Adeline
and Aiden on March 15, 2017. She was followed by Vanessa Cochran and Shawn
Harner whose twins, Beau and Elena, arrived on May 25, 2017.
HGH Mother and Baby Unit Nurse Tiffany Andersen was next on June 8, 2017
when Brantley and Brayden made their debut. The following week, on June
15, 2017, Felicia Claudy and Max Vaneeten welcomed Keagen and Kyrin. Just
four days later, on June 19, 2017, Aurora and Ryker, daughter and son
of Allyson Thayer and David Raynor, arrived.
Then on July 31, 2017, Ophelia and Miguel Ramirez welcomed sons Angel and
Leonardo. Kalli Grady and Chase Day delivered twin boys on August 15,
2017; the babies were recently discharged from the Primary Children’s
Medical Center Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
And just this past Monday, November 27, Rene Tafoya and Carlos Riviera
rounded out this landmark year with the birth of twin boys, Damian and Daniel.
Prior to 2017, Dr. Perkinson said his personal “twin” record
in one year was three—“and I thought that was pretty significant,” he said.
During the Tuesday, November 28, meeting of the HGH Board of Trustees,
HGH Chief of Staff and Family Practice/OB physician Brad Granath commented
that he had never witnessed so many multiples arriving in one year. “I
have never heard of such a thing—especially in a small town like
Winnemucca,” he said.
Still, Dr. Granath said it was a “gold star” for the Mother
and Baby Unit, Dr. Perkinson, and the hospital as a whole.
“This really speaks to the wonderful care we provide, our reputation,
and our outcomes,” he said.
For his part, Dr. Perkinson said it’s been a busy year to say the
least—and a remarkable one as well.
“Any multiple birth is a high-risk delivery,” said Dr. Perkinson,
“and to welcome this many multiples in one year with the amazing
clinical outcomes that we have is just a miracle.”
“Really,” the doctor added, “this wasn’t just the
year of the twin, it was the year of miracles.”