Three Miracles and a Second Chance: Evilin Juanes-Hamm’s Fight for Life

Juanes-Hamm will be the second INTEGRIS Health “Home Run for Life” honoree of the 2026 season Saturday at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark

Graphic courtesy of the OKC Comets.

Giving birth to her triplet daughters nine weeks early during an emergency C-section, Evilin Juanes-Hamm found herself fighting through severe blood loss, emergency surgery and an unexpected cancer diagnosis.

The lifesaving coordinated and multidisciplinary care Evilin and her daughters received at INTEGRIS Health Baptist Medical Center and INTEGRIS Health Children’s in the weeks and months that followed navigated the family through those unimaginable medical challenges.

Evilin will be recognized Friday, May 22 as the impactful INTEGRIS Health “Home Run For Life” series continues at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The series celebrates Oklahomans who have overcome significant health challenges and provides a symbolic end to their adversity with a home run “lap” around the bases during an in-game ceremony.

Evilin and her husband, Bill, found themselves in for a surprise during an initial trip to the hospital after they had been trying to have a baby for a while.

“We just wanted one baby and then they did an ultrasound and said it’s three, so we were really shocked,” Evilin said. “I don’t think it felt real to me for a while until they were here.”

The months leading up to the birth of her three daughters were rough on Evilin.

“The pregnancy was pretty rough, just a lot of sickness,” Evilin said. “I worked the whole time up until the very end. I started working from home and then I was on bedrest. They said you need to go to the hospital because I had preeclampsia.”

Still nine weeks ahead of the expected delivery, the plan was to closely monitor Evilin’s condition. As days passed, Evilin’s blood pressure continued to rise, and the only solution was to deliver the triplets early.

“I was really scared,” she said. “Seeing the babies come out, I felt really nervous. I hear the crying, it’s so beautiful, and then the next thing I know, I wake up and it’s three days later.”

After Hoda Maarouf, M.D., successfully delivered the babies, Evilin had begun to suffer internal bleeding that led to several blood transfusions. She also spent a few days in a medically induced coma.

Evilin’s husband Bill remembers fearing the worst.

“It was terrifying,” he said. “There were moments I truly thought I might lose my wife. But every doctor and nurse showed up for us with such calm, compassion and support.”

Evilin Juanes-Hamm and her husband Bill recently visited Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Photo courtesy of the OKC Comets.

During that time, doctors discovered a large mass, which they were able to remove and send for testing. Days later, pathology results confirmed Evilin had stage 2 dysgerminoma, a rare form of ovarian cancer.

“Then it became a whole process of taking care of the babies, recovering from the C-section and having to come to terms with the fact that I had cancer,” she remembers. “I had to have another surgery to remove the tumor and then do three rounds of chemotherapy.”

Four days after delivery, Evilin got the chance to meet her daughters Ani, Isabella and Xochitl. Each of them was born weighing two-to-three pounds. “I was actually really scared to see them because they were so tiny. I just couldn’t comprehend what a two-and three-pound baby looks like.”

Bill adds, “As she reached into the isolette and touched each of them, I knew she truly felt like a mom. In that moment, I felt immeasurably blessed that she had survived.”

Evilin credits her daughters with helping save her life. “The type of cancer I have, they would have never found it until it was too late. Had I not had that C-section, my doctor wouldn’t have gone in, seen it and taken it out. That’s what saved my life.”

The experience has made Evilin realize the inner strength she possesses, while helping to show her and her daughters there’s nothing you shouldn’t be able to do.

“It’s made me think there’s nothing to be embarrassed of and there’s nothing that could stop you and you should do everything that you want to do,” Evilin said. “I’m generally a very scared person so this made me think there’s nothing that could stop me. There’s no way I went through all of that and survived it just to be held back by anything and to be scared. It made me so appreciative of my life and how strong my babies are and everything they’ve gone through, they’ve been through so much and they’re only eight months right now so I’m grateful for everything that I have and to them for showing me that.”

That belief is echoed by Bill who knows his wife will continue to excel at being a mother.

“I am so proud of Evilin’s strength and will to be the best mom she can be, even on the worst of days,” Bill said. “Few people endure the trials she has faced in the last year. Delivering triplets in itself is a feat, but she has stood tall through the surgeries and chemotherapy.”

Bill was a big part of the strong support system that Evilin had by her side between friends and caretakers at INTEGRIS Health Baptist Medical Center.

“I had a lot of help. My husband took on most of the work, my family, our friends, co-workers, everyone really came through for us,” Evilin said. “We would’ve never been able to make it without them. My doctors were all amazing, but Dr. Nanda [Sumeeta Nanda, M.D.] was so sweet. She wasn’t there for the birth, but I felt like she really cared about me and took care of me afterwards. Without all those people I would’ve never been able to make it.”

Both husband and wife think back on that scary time in life thankful to everyone at INTEGRIS Health who helped their family through it.

“I wish I could remember all the names of the nurses and doctors involved in her care at INTEGRIS Health, but I’m grateful for them and will forever remember their faces,” Bill said. “The NICU and ICU nurses were particularly kind and supportive.”

Evilin has since been declared cancer-free and her triplets are thriving and each developing their own personalities.

“I would just want to say thank you, especially to Dr. Maarouf, she saved my life,” Evilin said. “Thank you to the ICU nurses that were there with me, the postpartum nurses, the NICU nurses, everyone was so wonderful and they all took care of me. The NICU nurses weren’t my nurses, but I had so many issues during the recovery time and they were just the most amazing people ever and just truly wonderful. I remember them not only taking care of my babies but also taking care of me. They went above and beyond.”

Evilin Juanes-Hamm will be recognized May 22 as part of the INTEGRIS Health “Home Run For Life” series at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Photo courtesy of the OKC Comets.