The birth of their twins should have been filled with hope and celebration. Instead, the Navarette family found themselves facing every parent's worst fear as their premature newborn children fought for their lives.
For three years, Zanae and Justin prayed for another child. They had dreamed of giving their son, Denim, a sibling, but month after month, that dream seemed to slip further away. Then, just as they were beginning to lose hope, everything changed. Zanae was pregnant.
Soon, another surprise followed. They weren't expecting one baby; they were expecting twins. A boy and a girl. They named them Ezra and Sage and began imagining the life they would share as a family of five.
But at just 24 weeks pregnant, Zanae went into premature labor. She was rushed by ambulance from Bakersfield to Los Angeles, terrified that every mile brought her babies closer to danger. When she arrived, doctors discovered that Ezra had polyhydramnios, a condition caused by excess amniotic fluid surrounding the fetus. An emergency C-section was urgently needed.
Sage was immediately taken to the NICU, where doctors worked tirelessly to give her a chance at life.
Meanwhile, Ezra's condition rapidly worsened. He was so tiny and delicate that every attempt to place a breathing tube only caused him more harm. Despite being surrounded by specialists doing everything they could, his little body simply wasn't strong enough to survive.
"He wasn't going to make it," Justin recalled. "They asked me if I wanted to hold him because his heart was still beating strong. It was a surreal moment—holding your son for the first and last time."
For nearly two hours, they held their baby boy, memorizing every tiny feature before saying goodbye forever.
"He looked just like our oldest son," Zanae shared.
There was little time to grieve. Their one-pound daughter was clinging to life in the NICU, and each day brought another frightening diagnosis. A brain bleed. An infection. A hole in her heart. One heartbreaking development after the other. After losing Ezra, Zanae couldn't bear the thought of loving Sage only to lose her too.
"I didn't see Sage for so long," she said. "After what happened to her brother, I thought the same thing was going to happen to her."
The Kindreds had expected to leave the hospital with two newborns in their arms. Instead, they left with empty arms, a broken heart, and no idea where they would stay while Sage continued her fight.
“We couldn’t go home, we didn’t have anywhere to stay, and a hotel for so many months was out of the question.”
That’s when the Kindreds were referred to Ronald McDonald House Pasadena.
“We didn’t know what to expect, but when we got there everybody was fantastic. They were helpful, kind, and really understanding of our situation,” shared Justin.
Ronald McDonald House Pasadena became the refuge they desperately needed. It gave them a place to rest after long days in the NICU, permission to grieve, and a community of other parents who have stood where they are, shared their fears, and felt their heartbreak.
Seeing a family who had lived through a similar nightmare and was now celebrating a healthy child gave Zanae and Justin something they hadn't felt in a long time: the courage to believe that one day, Sage could come home too.
Through Family Support Services and the compassion of staff and other families who understood their pain, they found strength when they felt they had none left.
Three months later, Sage weighs almost five pounds, has undergone heart surgery, and continues to grow stronger with every passing day.
Although Ezra is no longer in their arms, he remains forever in their hearts. Every milestone Sage reaches is celebrated with joy, but also with the quiet remembrance of the little boy who made them parents to twins, even if only for a precious two hours. Although the Kindreds are unsure how long they will call The House their home, they continue moving forward with hope, carrying both of their babies with them: one by their side, and one in their hearts.
