Twins born late last year at just 22 weeks and five days gestation “had not been expected to survive,” but now the babies are defying the odds and inspiring people around the globe.
Doctors initially offered a grim diagnosis for little Harley and Harry Crane, who were “smaller than an Elf on the Shelf” when they were born, mom Jade told the Mirror. But the babies have persevered and are shattering records.
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The “little fighters,” now 16 weeks old, are doing so well they might be released from Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham, U.K., Thursday, their original due date.
The incredible story of the twins’ survival comes out of the U.K., where Harley and Harry are potentially being dubbed the earliest-born babies to survive in the country.
“The twins — born weighing 500g and the size of a Mars Bar — had not been expected to survive,” read a Facebook post from Nottingham University Hospitals. “Believed to be Britain’s youngest surviving premature twins, Harley and Harry continue to amaze doctors and nurses at QMC as they go from strength to strength.”
Harley’s and Harry’s incredible journey keeps making headlines, as their survival shows how babies continue to survive and thrive at earlier points in pregnancy. Just consider what the Daily Mail noted — that “babies born at 22 weeks are not classed as legally viable and medical intervention is sometimes not offered.”
Yet these babies, with medical intervention, have survived. The Mirror called their birth and persistence a “medical miracle.”
The story is particularly remarkable considering doctors gave Harley and Harry a zero chance of survival when they were born on Oct. 26 and told their mom, Jade, she was having a miscarriage.
That news was undoubtedly more than distressing, considering Jade and her husband Steve had spent 11 years trying to get pregnant. They suffered an ectopic pregnancy and eight cycles of IVF, among other interventions.
And, alas, their dreams seemed dashed once again last October — but Jade said she turned to prayer amid the uncertainty, refusing to believe her babies wouldn’t make it.
“I had a sense of peace, and I prayed and prayed for them to make it, for them to cry to show signs of life, which they did,” she told the BBC.
Once the doctors heard the babies cry in the delivery room, they broke into a mad dash to save them.
“When Harley let out the smallest of cries, the room went mad, and they suddenly offered life-saving treatment,” Jade told the Mirror. “It felt amazing to hear them cry, though I was still scared.”
The journey for Harley and Harry from there wasn’t easy. The twins suffered from a gastrointestinal illness that could have been fatal, and their parents, again, prepared to say goodbye — but they survived.
The twins have also had several surgeries and could face long-term issues. So far, though, they have continued defying the odds.
“They’ll go down in medical history,” Jade told the Mirror. “I’m sure they’ll have an award named after them because everyone is just amazed by them!”
The twins beat out a previous record set in 2018 by twins born in the U.K. at 22 weeks and six days gestation, as the BBC noted.
Pray for Harley, Harry, and their family as they continue to embark on the path toward good health, and read more about their touching story here. You can also follow their journey on Instagram.
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