Twins In Brookfield Had Heart Transplants, Now Mom Faces Cancer

BROOKFIELD, WI—A West Bend tree farm and the community are surrounding a Brookfield family with positivity and hope this Christmas.

Dan and Christine Roehling's motto is to not focus on life's challenges but to count their blessings. Even as Christine faces a fight for her life, the couple's faith remains strong.

Last Christmas, Christine was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer. Dan told Patch that his wife's chances of making it to her 40th birthday are less than 20 percent.

"We don't look at that statistic as being part of our life," he said, adding that his wife's past two scans have shown no new growth.

"We are focusing on the positive and they are continuing to find us," Dan said.

Blessing in disguise

In 2019, the family had a trip planned to Disney as a Christmas gift for the kids. Dan said they had their park wristbands all set when they got the bad news.

"It was frustrating because we finally got the girls at the point in their health that we felt comfortable getting on an airplane," he told Patch.

Thirteen months after having their first child, Maxwell, the Brookfield couple welcomed twin daughters, Chloe and Kendall. The girls were diagnosed with advanced-stage heart failure at 13 months. Specifically, restrictive cardiomyopathy - the rarest form of cardiomyopathy.

The girls' symptoms were so advanced that their parents were told that the only chance for survival was a heart transplant. Both girls received heart transplants in 2016. Chloe and Kendall, both 5, continue to thrive.

Wanting to pay it forward, the couple founded The Beat Goes On Foundation. The organization's primary mission is to improve the quality of life for children diagnosed with heart disease and defects by increasing awareness, raising funds, and investing in impactful research.

The family opted to cancel the trip but Christine had an idea to use the money for the trip to build a pool.

Then the coronavirus pandemic hit.

Dan told Patch the family has been living in a bubble because of the family's health issues. He added the world finally caught up to them with the masks and sanitizing everything.

In hindsight, the decision turned out to be a blessing due to the pandemic.

"It turned into a backyard we enjoyed all summer," he said.

Making memories

Jackie and Dean Fechter, owners of Christmas on Indian Lore, a West Bend tree farm, are asking for the community to help with a special project.

Together with Unique Services, Belgard, and Alliance, the owners want to make a dream backyard for the family. The original goal was to complete the project in the summer of 2019 but it was pushed to June of 2021.

The goal is to get the kids a playset, a deck around the pool, and some more things for the patio, along with some back yard play items for the kids. The family also needs a new roof and help with their medical bills.

Jackie explained they knew the Roehlings from when her husband Dean worked with Dan. She said the family is very private and at first, she didn't know at first about the cancer diagnosis.

"It was a tough thing to get them to let us do this," Jackie told Patch.

She added the main thing is to give the kids a place to play and also the opportunity for Christine to "make memories."

"I think she is acutely aware she will probably not see the twins or Max graduate from high school. We want them to be able to enjoy time with family," Jackie said.

The business is no stranger to helping people in the community. In 2019, they fundraised for a two-year-old named Henry Rathmann who suffers from a rare genetic disorder called epidermolysis bullosa.

Jackie said it's the community that's behind the fundraising and not the business.

"They are the ones who are putting money in the jar and we couldn't do this without all their generosity," she said.

Donations can be made on the Christmas on Indian Lore website or mailing a check made out to the Roehling family to 7790 Indian Lore Rd, West Bend 53090.