A mom's quest: Saving her twin daughters' lives

Hoda Kotb Correspondent • Profile

Addi and Cassi Hempel are identical twins but the icy cold water of Lake Tahoe makes the differences in their temperaments as clear as the blue sky.

Chris Hempel, mother: Addi's kinda[a] bit more "go with the flow". Cassi tends to throw more tantrums.

For Mommy Chris and Daddy Hugh, this morning spent at the shore with their five-year old daughters is a true—and rare—luxury.

Chris: They're playing with the sand; they're playing with the rocks. You know, they're kind of looking around and you know they seem to really enjoy the day and so they're happy.

Despite the picture perfect weather, they know it’s only a matter of time before they have to turn around and go home.

Hugh Hempel, father: We just walked up the beach. It's very hard on their balance, so I think their little brains are working very hard to stay upright and they did a pretty good job.

Chris: It's nice to get out and we should try to do it as much as we can while we can, while they're still walking, and mobile.

For this family, the clock is always ticking.

Hugh: We try and live in the moment as much as possible because the more you think ahead, the more you, you know, you've got two places to go. You've got the hopeful place to go and you've got the despair place to go.

Not looking towards the future is especially tough for Chris and Hugh, considering they’ve spent their careers in forward-thinking Silicon Valley.

Video   Meet Addi and Cassi June 28: Addison and Cassidy Hempel were normal toddlers, until they were struck by a devastating disease that slowly stole their minds. NBC’s Hoda Kotb reports. Dateline NBC

Chris: I guess we would be considered a kind of power couple although we didn't really look at ourselves that way. He worked on the marketing side and I worked on the PR side. We were constantly busy traveling. It was just hectic.

The couple did make time for each other—eventually getting married and traveling the world together.

A year later, their family doubled. Addison and Cassidy Hempel were born prematurely but the tiny girls were a big hit with their parents.

Hugh: It was paradise. You know, it was hard work.  Twins are hard work, so it was all hands on deck. But yeah, they've always been happy babies. Relatively easy. Just went along with the flow.

Chris: They were just little doll babies. They were perfect.  They just got into everything, just typical toddlers… opening drawers, getting into makeup, you know just giggling, laughing, just meeting all their major milestones without any problems.

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