The power of love is not a fairy tale.
Mᴇᴅɪᴄᴀʟ ᴘʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴄᴇ sometimes requires going through ᴇxᴛʀᴇᴍᴇ situations to be able to climb one more step. Brielle and Kyrie Jackson, sisters who were born ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇʟʏ at 7 months of pregnancy, were one of these cases in 1995.
Both were born on October 17th, and, at that time, US ᴘʀᴏᴛᴏᴄᴏʟ required that the sisters be placed in different ɪɴᴄᴜʙᴀᴛᴏʀs so that they did not have contact and thus ᴀᴠᴏɪᴅ any ɪɴꜰᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ.
However, as Kyrie got stronger and gained weight, her sister started to show signs of ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴘʀᴏʙʟᴇᴍs. Her ᴏxʏɢᴇɴ level was ʟᴏᴡ, and she did not ɢᴀɪɴ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ.
On the 12th of November, Brielle’s situation took a turn for the ᴡᴏʀsᴇ. Her little arms and legs started to turn ʙʟᴜᴇ as she tried to ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜᴇ. His ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ʀᴀᴛᴇ sᴋʏʀᴏᴄᴋᴇᴛᴇᴅ, and his family, with tears in their eyes, prepared for the ᴡᴏʀsᴛ.
Doctors tried all known ᴍᴇᴀsᴜʀᴇs, but the ʙᴀʙʏ’s ᴄᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ did not improve. It was then that the nurse Gayle Kasparian sought out the family and asked ᴘᴇʀᴍɪssɪᴏɴ to try a ᴍᴇᴛʜᴏᴅ known in Europe but still almost unknown in the US: putting the two sisters in the same ɪɴᴄᴜʙᴀᴛᴏʀ.
Soon after the parents authorized it, the girls were placed next to each other. With what little strength she had, Brielle bonded with her sister, and her ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ began to stabilize.
Within minutes, ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴏxʏɢᴇɴ levels were rising. However, the most touching thing would come later: while Brielle started to sleep, her sister stretched out her arm until she was completely embracing her. This caused little Brielle’s ʙᴏᴅʏ ᴛᴇᴍᴘᴇʀᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ to rise to normal.
After she was discharged, her parents continued with the ᴛʜᴇʀᴀᴘʏ, putting the sisters in the same crib. The health of both continued to improve. Even five years later, they were still sharing the same bed.
Kyrie’s “Rᴇsᴄᴜɪɴɢ Hᴜɢ” (“Rᴇsᴄᴜɪɴɢ Hᴜɢ,” as it became known) caught the attention of the media as well as doctors studying the effectiveness of this ᴍᴇᴛʜᴏᴅ to treat ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ twins.
Thus, the University of Massachusetts analyzed more than 100 cases of babies who were born ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇʟʏ and shared the ɪɴᴄᴜʙᴀᴛᴏʀ with their brother, and in all of them, the doctors did not find a single report of ɪɴꜰᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ among the newborns.
Today, sisters Brielle and Kyrie continue to share the same bond and closeness that saved the life of the ᴡᴇᴀᴋᴇsᴛ of them at birth.
