NAPERVILLE, Ill., Oct. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- The following statement was read live today at Edward Hospital in Naperville, IL, by Taunacy Horton, mother of the Horton Five Quintuplets and wife of Sgt. Joshua Horton.
Statement:
Good morning. I am a bit overwhelmed by all of the attention our family has been receiving the past few days, but am so grateful for your prayers and concern. I hope you don’t mind if I read this statement and not take questions right now. I know there are so many questions that people have, and Josh and I do want to answer them, and tell our story once we are united ... but right now I just want everyone to know that the babies and I are O.K., and that Josh will heal and be home with us when he can.
Even though we knew we were having quintuplets, the past 27 weeks have been an extraordinary journey for our family. Josh and I have had so many ups and downs along the way, starting with my first ultrasound. When Josh and I found out that our family would grow from four to nine, we were shocked and a bit terrified, but we always knew that somehow things would work out. Josh and I know that God lives. We know he loves us and our family. We know that when we decided to have these five babies that he would bless us and lend us strength to get through this regardless of what might happen. I know that my family will be together forever.
So many people have stepped forward to offer us courage and hope -- our family, our church, our friends and our neighbors. I really don’t know where we would be without them. Their words and their deeds have literally lifted our spirits and helped us through this. So many have sacrificed their time to take care of my children and bring in meals to my home. Their visits to my hospital bed helped get me as far as I did in my pregnancy.
The odds were against me even reaching 26 weeks with my babies. But with help from above, and from my doctors, like Julie Jensen and Don Taylor, I made it. Their great knowledge helped get these babies here safely.
All the nurses and staff at Edward Hospital have taken such great care of me and had everything ready even before the babies arrived. When I came to Edward to be on bed rest, everyone made it as comfortable as possible.
As you have heard from the doctors and nurses today, our babies are doing really well for being so premature. They are beautiful, and they look just like their older brother and sister, and each has their own personality. There is still a long road ahead for these angels -- and hurdles along the way -- but we are very hopeful, and glad they are doing so well.
Josh is doing well at Bethesda Naval Hospital which is where he and I met 10 years ago when I worked as a corpsman, and where we had our first son, Sean. It’s a great hospital. Josh is still really hurt, but we are very hopeful for his recovery, and know he has the best care possible.
Even though circumstances didn’t allow Josh to be here for the delivery, my hope is that Josh will be here when we first get to hold our new babies. I can’t wait until we can be reunited and go through this together. That would be very special. My son and daughter at home can’t wait to see and hug their dad and update him on everything.
I talked to Josh for the first time since the birth at about 8 a.m. this morning. As you can imagine, it was a very emotional and special moment for us. Wednesday, Josh was told of the arrival of the quintuplets, and was able to see video of them. His mother, Lauchlan, said that he was deeply moved and reached out to touch the TV screen with his hand. I wish I could have been there, but I know he is keeping them in his heart until he can see them in person.
I can’t wait to get home this weekend to be with my 7-year-old son, Sean, and five-year-old daughter, Shaleigh. They have had a hard time with both parents away, but they are so excited about their new brothers and sisters, and they are relieved to have their mother back. We need some time together while the quints grow and develop at the hospital. We have a lot of work to do to get ready for them. I would ask that you please respect our privacy and space as I return to my family.
Josh and I are firm believers that good things can come out of hard trials ... and that couldn’t be truer than today.
Help and encouragement didn’t just start with the birth of these babies, but from the very beginning which helped me get as far along with them as I did.
Josh and I will be forever grateful to everyone who has helped us. People who we have never met have stepped forward to offer support. Two people I would like to personally thank are Lt. Governor Pat Quinn and Eric Schuller from his staff, who read about us in the newspaper, and have been great cheerleaders for us from the time Josh left for duty. They have supported many other Marines and their families too.
Josh and I are thinking about every military family today, and are praying for the safety of our troops who are serving our country so bravely.
As I said, the outpouring of love has lifted us on our journey. Somehow I think our family will be O.K. We have been blessed with so much that “thank you” is not even enough. The next weeks and months start a new chapter in our lives, but we are so touched to share this story with so many. Thank you again for your thoughts and prayers, and thank you very much for coming today.
Edward Hospital
CONTACT: Deborah Linton, +1-630-527-3929, or Brian Davis,+1-630-527-3933, both of Edward Hospital
Web site: http://www.edward.org/