Premature twin sisters are fighting for their lives at separate hospitals in Boston, Massachusetts, as their parents, Mike and Kelsey Kennedy, worry that an upcoming nurses’ strike could affect their care.
The couple’s daughters, Juliette and Kendall, were born at just 24 weeks on August 31. Due to their medical conditions, the babies were taken to different hospitals for specialised treatment.
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Juliette was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, while her younger sister, Kendall, was transferred to Boston Children’s Hospital for treatment of a severe case of spina bifida. The condition occurs when the spine and spinal cord do not develop or close properly during pregnancy.
Kendall reportedly received treatment within 24 hours of her birth. Juliette was also temporarily transferred to Boston Children’s Hospital last week for heart surgery before returning to Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
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Nearly six weeks after their birth, both girls remain in stable but critical condition and continue to require intensive medical care.
Their parents have been struggling to divide their time between the two hospitals while also caring for their two other children, a three-year-old and an 11-month-old baby, at home.
Speaking about the difficult situation, Mike told the New York Post: “We feel guilty as it is every time we leave the hospital and can’t bring our children home with us and have them be with their siblings. But at least we had the security of knowing they are in good hands.
“It was obviously hard for my wife to go back and forth, for me to go back and forth, but we were comfortable with that, given the nurses we had.
“Our big concern is losing the nurses and that’s what makes it so difficult – the stress of not having the twins together and also not knowing what type of care that they’re going to be receiving.
“We don’t have any answers. We’ve tried to reach out to the hospital. The nurses, obviously for legal reasons, can’t talk to us, so they just try to comfort us, but we don’t know who’s coming in or what their qualifications are.
“We’re just afraid. We don’t know what we’re up against,” the exasperated father continued, adding that the twins “require such delicate care.
“From day one, we have always wanted them to be together. They were basically hugging one another for 24 weeks in the womb…and then you kind of just rip them out and they’re on their own in traumatic settings,
“Ideally, we would love to just get them in the same place so that my wife can hold them and provide milk for them at the same time.”
Kelsey reportedly managed to hold both babies for the first time this week. The twins, however, remain on breathing tubes as they continue receiving medical care.
According to Mike, doctors had told the family that Kendall might need assistance with walking, using the bathroom and performing everyday activities throughout her life because of her condition.
Despite the challenges, the father said the family remained hopeful about the twins’ progress.
“But luckily, it’s been kind of a miracle — we think that there are good signs.
“We’re just hopeful that everything is going to work out the way it’s supposed to, and that they’ll both continue to heal.
The family’s concerns come as approximately 4,000 nurses at Brigham and Women’s Hospital prepare for an indefinite strike scheduled to begin next week if union representatives and hospital management fail to reach an agreement.
Mike fears that losing the nurses who have been caring for his daughters could create additional uncertainty during an already difficult period for the family.
As the labour dispute continues, the couple hopes their daughters will keep making progress and eventually be able to receive care together, allowing the family to spend more time with both babies.
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