The story below changed medical history forever. It was 1995 when Paul Jackson’s 12-week-premature twin daughters suffered complications inside a neo-natal intensive care unit at a hospital in Worcester, Mass. Premature babies were known to be fragile and delicate by the medical community, so they were each treated individually in their own incubators.
At three weeks old, little Brielle’s previously stable condition began to deteriorate. She was struggling to breathe, her heart rate increased, and her oxygen level dropped. The poor baby even started turning blue. There wasn’t much hope, but that’s when on duty nurse, Gayle Kasparaian, decided to try something that hadn’t been practiced in the USA yet.
She placed the stronger twin, Kyrie, into the incubator with Brielle. It was uncommon for babies to share an incubator, but Gayle’s move actually saved the dying twin’s life! Kyrie put her little arm around Brielle and what happened next has been described as nothing short of a miracle.
Brielle’s stats immediately started stabilizing. A photographer captured the beautiful image, which is now known as the “Rescuing Hug”. It appeared in Life Magazine and Reader’s Digest. The twins are living happy and healthy adult lives. Gayle’s quick thinking raised awareness of skin-to-skin contact. Now, premature babies are often handled this way, known as “Kangaroo Care”, some as young as 23 weeks old. Watch the full video below and please leave us a Facebook comment to let us know what you thought!
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