Conjoined twins locked in battle for life:
Lying face to face, with one arm draped around the other, Kaydon and Kameron appear to be locked in a loving embrace.
But the boys, not yet 3 months old, have no choice but to hug each other every minute of every day. They are conjoined twins who share a liver and a single malformed heart.
Doctors discussed terminating the pregnancy with the mother, Brianna Manns, 21, after they determined the twins were not likely to survive. But Manns said abortion was never an option.
Although I'm glad Brianna stood by her children and refused to kill them, I have to wonder how she can maintain hope that the single malformed heart can sustain both of them, in the face of all evidence to the contrary. Taking them home with the standard preemie equipment so that they can soak up maximum love seems the option that would be best for everybody involved, even though it would mean the boys wouldn't live as long. Their time would be spent being held and cuddled, not just there on machines waiting for the daily visits.
I don't think Brianna and her family are bad, or that they're trying to harm the babies. And I do think that just because a doctor says there's no hope really means there's no hope. But there also needs to be a point where you recognized that the road is downhill and stop trying to go back up.
I would love to see a miraculous healing for the boys. But I'd not bank on it.
Prayers for them and their family and caregivers.
Though I don't always trust doctors on whether there is hope, it sounds like there is little. But this is oddly written. How is it that the response to lack of hope should be killing one's children? If my child was doomed to die--born or unborn--I wouldn't say, "Okay, kill them now." The only humane and compassionate choice is to keep loving that child (or in this case, those children) until they do die. In this case, it is likely to happen soon after birth. Why does that make it okay to kill the children 6 months before they die? Do we do that for terminally ill 2 year olds? 16-year-olds?
ReplyDeleteI agree with young Christian woman. I'm an older Christian woman myself. 1st I believe families are intended to be eternal. That being said I've known a few courageous faith filled women that chose to deliver their babies knowing that they will be called home shortly after birth. The short time they had to hold these little ones meant so much to them.these beautiful women of God have hope in Christ and know they will one day hold their babies once again.
ReplyDeleteThis is something that many doctors can not understand. But there is always hope one day they will feel his touch.
1:32 PM