The love between siblings can be a powerful and mysterious thing. They may have their quarrels, their disagreements, their silent treatments, and their long separations, but in the end, they are ready to die for each other. Even in infancy, when they don’t fully understand what love is, they feel it and show it with all their heart.
Modern medicine can’t explain everything. It certainly couldn’t explain the kind of amazing love that flowed between these twin baby sisters, who were born too soon. Love was so strong that a gentle touch was enough to save a life. One of the girls was about to die, and a hug from her sister gave her a new chance at life. It was a story we should always remember.
In 1995, at the UMass Memorial Health Care in Worchester, Massachusetts, Kyrie and Brielle Jackson came into the world 12 weeks early. They weighed only about two pounds each. The nurses told their father that they were both doing fine and had a good chance of surviving. Their father didn’t blame the nurses when things went wrong for Brielle. With premature babies, things can change in an instant.
When the girls were three weeks old, Brielle started to struggle with breathing. Her oxygen levels dropped, and her heart rate soared. Her skin turned blue, and she gasped for air.
Nurse Gayle Kasparian, who worked at the Newborn Intensive Care Unit, decided to do something that has been a lifesaver for many dying babies since then. The twins were kept in separate incubators to avoid infection, but Brielle was getting worse. Nurse Gayle asked their parents for permission to put Kyrie in the same incubator with her. Kyrie was the healthier twin.
She told CNN: “When I put Brielle in with her sister, it was amazing. She immediately calmed down. Her heart rate stabilized, and her color changed.”
This practice is called kangaroo care, a skin-to-skin contact (usually between mother and child) that is thought to give warmth, love, and comfort to young children. 2. American doctors used to think that kangaroo care was risky for premature babies. The doctors believed that premature babies should be isolated. They may risk passing infections to one another or experience discomfort.
But after the miracles of Brielle and Kyrie, “kangaroo care” became more common in the country. The doctors realized that sometimes a simple touch can make a big difference.
The twins are now 24 and living healthy lives. They are very close to each other, and they know that their bond is special.
