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Locked on 11/03/2007 12:57:21 PM PDT by Admin Moderator, reason:
Amazing what a Search under “twinseparable” can turn up: |
Posted on 11/03/2007 10:02:15 AM PDT by mware
They say twins share a strong bond - but the one between Gabriel and Ieuan Jones was unbreakable.
When doctors found that Gabriel was weaker than his brother, with an enlarged heart,and believed he was going to die in the womb, his mother Rebecca Jones had to make a heartbreaking decision.
Doctors told her his death could cause his twin brother to die too before they were born, and that it would be better to end Gabriel's suffering sooner rather than later.
Mrs Jones decided to let doctors operate to terminate Gabriel's life.
Firstly they tried to sever his umbilical cord to cut off his blood supply, but the cord was too strong.
They then cut Mrs Jones's placenta in half so that when Gabriel died, it would not affect his twin brother.
But after the operation which was meant to end his life, tiny Gabriel had other ideas.
Although he weighed less than a pound, he put up such a fight for survival that doctors called him Rocky.
Astonishingly, he managed to carry on living in his mother's womb for another five weeks - until the babies were delivered by caesarean section.
Now he and Ieuan are back at home in Stoke - and are so close they are always holding each other's hand.
Mrs Jones, 35, a financial adviser whose husband Mark, 36, is a car salesman, said: "It really is a miracle. Doctors carried out an operation to let Gabriel die - yet he hung on.
"It was unbelievable."
"When I felt him kicking madly the morning after the operation, I suddenly knew that he was going to hang on.
"The doctors couldn't believe it when they could still hear his heartbeat the next morning."
Mrs Jones learned she was expecting twins when she was ten weeks pregnant. She said: "When they told us we were over the moon."
But at her 20-week scan, doctors had some devastating news. One of the boys was half the size of his brother.
They didn't know what was causing it, but somehow he wasn't getting enough nutrients.
Then doctors said his heart was three times normal size and it was likely he would have a heart attack or a stroke in the womb.
Mrs Jones said: "They told us that if he died, it could be life threatening for his brother.
"We had to decide whether to end his life and let his brother live, or risk them both."
They said it would be impossible to keep him alive afterwards as he was so poorly.
It would be kinder to let him die in the womb with his brother by his side than to die alone after being born.
"That made my mind up for me. I wanted the best thing for him."
At Birmingham Women's Hospital, when Mrs Jones was 25 weeks pregnant, doctors tried to sever Gabriel's umbilical cord to cut off his blood supply and allow him to die.
But the cord was too thick, and they could not cut through it.
As a last resort they divided Mrs Jones's placenta so that when Gabriel died, it would allow Ieuan to survive. Mrs Jones said: "I put my hands on my stomach thinking of Gabriel. It was devastating. I had said my goodbyes."
But the next morning Mrs Jones felt Gabriel kicking. A scan showed his heart was still beating. She said: "No one could quite believe it."
Gabriel hung on, and his enlarged heart started to reduce in size. He also gained weight.
Mrs Jones said: "They thought it may be because the placenta had been divided. Inadvertently, it had evened out the distribution of nutrition between them, allowing Gabriel to survive.'
When Mrs Jones reached 31 weeks doctors carried out a caesarian to deliver the twins. Ieuan weighed 3lb 8oz and Gabriel 1lb 15oz. Both were kept in hospital, but since going home they have thrived. At seven months, Ieuan weighs 15lb and Gabriel 12lb 6oz.
Mrs Jones said: "The boys are so healthy, they have huge appetites too. Ieuan is the noisy one, while Gabriel is always laughing, it's like he's just so happy to be here.
"There is such a strong bond between them.
"They are always holding hands and if one cries, the other reaches out to comfort him."
"Doctors tried to break their bond in the womb, but they just proved it couldn't be broken."
I wonder if she knows how blessed she is.
Life will find a way. God bless the little fellow.
I think she must. Prayers for the twins. ~P~
Hmm, I wonder if that mades the doctors Lord Voltamore???
I am sure she does. What a wonderful story. God bless them all.
Mrs Jones said: “It really is a miracle. Doctors carried out an operation to let Gabriel die - yet he hung on. It was unbelievable.”
No, Ma’am, your doctors “carried out an operation” to kill Gabriel. They failed. Fits well with much I’ve read lately on the competence and consience of Britain’s Nationalized Health Service.
I wonder how often it happens that one twin grows much faster than the other and whether this might become the standard treatment for that.
I am amazed that they tried a second time to destroy the baby. After the second time, I think their conscience finally must have got to them.
Yes, i wonder about that too. In any case the thing they thought would kill the child may have just saved him.
this is what we have to look forward to with hillary care.
“The boy who didn’t die” ping...
Perhaps she realizes her blessings now. But, this part of the article makes me wonder:
It would be kinder to let him die in the womb with his brother by his side than to die alone after being born . . . "That made my mind up for me. I wanted the best thing for him."
I never understand it when a person says that killing a fetus is the "best thing" for the baby.
There's a mindset to watch for.
WOW!
What a heartwarming story!
Yeah ...
“That made my mind up for me. I wanted the best thing for him.”
That’s the “compassionate” stance for abortion too ... .
Wonder if they are aware of the irony of naming the baby Gabriel, "God's messenger"
“It would be kinder to let him die in the womb with his brother by his side than to die alone after being born.”
Huh??
Anyway, this sounds like it might be a case of Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS). The surgery they performed to separate the placentas probably saved this baby’s life. There is a new technique that was just developed to save TTTS babies- it is called fetoscopic laser coagulation, and has been very successful. Not sure if the article procedure and this procedure are the same, however I’m just very glad that we don’t have England’s health care system (yet!!).
Who knows maybe, just maybe this event changed the minds of some of the doctors who do abortions.
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