Adiah Laelynn and Adrial Luka Nadarajah just defied doctors and blew out their first candle.
Just over a year ago, on March 4, Adiah Laelynn and Adrial Luka Nadarajah entered the world weighing a very tiny 330 grams and 420 grams respectively.
Their birth at 126 days before term made them the youngest twins ever to survive such a premature delivery. In fact their mom, Shakina Rajendram, shared with the Guinness World Records that when she went into labor, "the babies were denied all life-sustaining measures at the hospital I was admitted to and almost left to die."
However, she was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, which is equipped with a specialist neonatal intensive care unit, the day after her labor began. When her water broke at 21 weeks and 6 days, doctors said that it would still be a "death sentence" for the babies as the hospital had a policy of not resuscitating babies born before 22 weeks.
The couple, who not long beforehand lost a baby in pregnancy, clung to their faith and to God.
The babies managed to hang on, and arrived the following day, incredibly just 15 minutes past midnight, at the necessary 22 weeks. And they proved to be real fighters. Over the following six months they experienced many complications, including bleeding on the brain, infections that led to sepsis, and their skin was very fragile and thin.
Thankfully, at 161 days Adiah was allowed to go home, with her brother following her a week later. Although Adrial has had a couple of readmissions, he's on the mend and is outgrowing his sister.
“She’s (Adiah) an extremely happy and social baby, and smiles all day long. She is very chatty and has ‘conversations’ with us and her toys for hours.” Adrial, who is more on the reserved side, is extremely observant and intelligent," shared their mother with GWR.
To listen to their incredible story, and to share in the joy of life, take a look at the family's report with Guinness World Records below. As their dad, Kevin, shares, he hopes their story will help "push the dialog on viability," and he adds, "we do hope this is a record that gets broken."
