Babies With 0% Chance of Survival Become World’s Most Premature Twins to Live—Parents Give God All the Glory
Canadian twins, Adiah and Adrial Nadarajah, were born at 22 weeks and zero days. These micro-preemies just celebrated their one-year birthday on March 4, 2023, and are now officially the world’s most premature twins.
In response, the family shared on social media, “We give God all the glory for the miracle He has performed in sustaining both Adiah and Adrial.”
As reported by Guinness World Records, the twins were born 126 days early. Initially, it wasn’t at all certain that doctors would even help the babies with life-saving medical treatment once they were born.
In fact, the twins’ parents, Kevin and Shakina Nadarajah, were told by doctors that there was no possibility of survival for their babies and the best they could hope for was to hold and comfort them as they took their last breaths.
Shakina went into preterm labor at 21 weeks and five days.
In a video interview with Guinness World Records, the twins’ father, Kevin, says that the hospital’s initial reaction was to tell them they would lose the babies.
After the hospital told them there was nothing they could do for the babies, they said the best the hospital could offer was comfort care.
Comfort care is when the hospital refuses to give life-saving medical treatment, and instead, babies are given to their parents to hold until they die.
The twins’ parents say they begged the doctor to do something to save the babies’ lives.
Desperate, the family found TwentyTwo Matters, an organization that advocates for saving the lives of micro-preemie babies. The goal of the organization is to raise awareness about the viability of babies born at 21 and 22 weeks gestation.
The group advised Kevin and Shakina on how to advocate for their babies’ lives.
At their request, the family was transferred to a hospital willing to give life-saving medical care to the babies if they reached 22 weeks gestation.
In his interview, Kevin said “We were clinging to our hope and faith. Trusting in God.”
Just hours after the twins turned 22 weeks in the womb, Shakina gave birth.
Their baby girl, Adiah, was born first and weighed 330 grams—a little more than half a pound. Adrial, their son, was born next and weighed 420 grams—almost a pound.
The twins were immediately admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit and given life-saving medical treatment.
The babies were in the hospital for about six months before they were released to go home.
Today, the family says the twins are happy and healthy.
Guinness World Records reports, “Shakina and Kevin are devout Christians, and they believe that the power of prayer – from friends, family, and even strangers worldwide – helped save the twins’ lives.”
Shakina told Guinness World Records, “The babies were close to death so many times, and as people prayed, things would miraculously change.”
It’s incredible to think that if these babies had been born just a couple of hours earlier, they would not have been given the opportunity to live.
The family says their heart is to “spread as much awareness as possible of the hope and measures of action that exist and to challenge neonatologists to actively work towards improving outcomes for extremely preterm babies.”
Photo from Guinness World Records.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nicole Hunt, J.D., is an attorney and serves as a writer and spokesperson at Focus on the Family. She provides analysis and advocacy engagement for Christians to promote faith, family, and freedom. Some of the issues she writes and speaks on include life, religious freedom, parental rights, marriage, and gender. Prior to joining Focus on the Family, Nicole practiced employment law specifically advising businesses and ministries on employment policies and practices. Nicole worked in Washington, D.C. as a Legislative Assistant to two Members of Congress. During her time on Capitol Hill, Nicole provided policy analysis and voting recommendations to Members of Congress on a variety of public policy matters, wrote speeches, drafted committee statements and questions, wrote floor statements, produced legislation and amendments to legislation, met and developed networks with constituents and interest groups, and worked on regional projects. In addition, Nicole served as an intern to Former Attorney General Ed Meese in the Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at the Heritage Foundation, provided legal analysis to Americans United for Life, and interned in the Office of Strategic Initiatives at The White House during the George W. Bush Administration. Nicole earned her J.D. from George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School and her Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Political Science from Westmont College. Nicole enjoys riding horses and spending time camping and hiking with her family in the great outdoors. Nicole is married to her husband, Jeff, and they have four children. Follow Nicole on Twitter @nicolehunt
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