Christi (Spackman) Carson, 38, of Ashville, N.Y., a registered nurse at UPMC Chautauqua WCA and a 2002 graduate of WAHS where she was a varsity cheerleader and on the track team, has been in UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh since she was diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy.

“The babies — Isla Rae and Arabella Elizabeth — are 6 weeks old,” Mark Woody of Warren said. “They’re doing great.”

His step-daughter, however, remains in the cardio-thoracic ICU at Presby.

How long she will remain there is unknown.

“Two pumps are keeping her alive,” Woody said. “She’s waiting for a heart transplant.”

Between the C-section and blood transfusions, “there was crossing of blood,” he said.

Christi’s body reacted by creating antibodies. With those remaining at elevated levels, her body is very likely to reject a transplant.

“She would reject 90% of available donor hearts,” Woody said. “They’re waiting for the antibodies to come down to be able to get the heart transplant.”

She is awake. She was able to visit with one of her daughters very briefly. “Isla was able to visit with her for 20 minutes the day before the surgery,” he said. “She got to hold her and see her smile.”

Christi could be discharged prior to receiving a heart. “She’ll have to be within two hours of Presby,” Woody said.

She could move back home to Jamestown. That would mean she would have to be flown by emergency helicopter if a heart was found on short notice. Or, she could stay somewhere closer to the hospital as her family has been doing for months.

The twins, Christi’s husband Dan, who also works at UPMC Chautauqua, and other family members are staying close to Christi at an Airbnb.

“Dan, my wife, or another family member is with them (the twins) 24/7 feeding them every three hours,” Woody said.

Other than their mother’s condition, there is one concern with the twins — formula.

At 6 weeks, the twins still weigh about 5 pounds. They have to take only liquid formula. The family has a prescription for the formula from UPMC-Magee Women’s Hospital written directly on the manufacturer, Woody said, but they are not relying only on that. “We have family all over looking for the formula. They have to stay on this until they are 6 months old.”

At that point, they can start on powdered formula.

Due to the discovery of Christi’s condition, her seven nieces and nephews, “are being watch for familial cardiac disease,” Woody said. “We have to err on the side of caution.”

The family is still accepting, and receiving, donations through a GoFundMe and an account at Northwest Bank. Prayers are also always welcome.

“The church community, family and friends, and even strangers have been extremely helpful through donations and prayers,” Woody said. “We can’t thank them enough. Everyone across the country that has made donations — people we don’t even know.”

“It’s very humbling to be on the receiving end of all this graciousness,” he said. “Thank you to everybody.”