As Ohioans head to the polls this November to vote on issues that could have grave consequences for babies in the womb — with abortion advocates still incensed about the word ‘unborn child’ being spelled out as clear as day on the ballot — the story of twin babies fighting for survival after being born at just 22 weeks and their mother’s strong spirit of protection for her darling little ones will hopefully sway some of the propaganda being spread these days in the Buckeye State. 

Spending nearly 140 days, 138 to be exact in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest Hospital, Kimyah and DJ Jackson are now the youngest surviving premature twins born at the hospital. Little girl Kimyah weighed the amount of a can of soda (12 ounces), while her “heavyweight” brother, DJ, came in at 15 ounces. 

Only given a 10%-20% chance of survival, the twins ended up spending their first Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s and Valentine’s Day in the NICU. 

Mother Kimberly Jackson first knew something was wrong when she began leaking amniotic fluid, a necessity for life in the womb to grow comfortably. In moments like these, when survival looks so uncertain, families have some very difficult conversations with doctors — some only opting for so-called comfort care, instead of doing everything possible to help these tiny children to survive.

Kimberly and her husband, Damante, were determined to bring their babies home, according to Dr. Firas Saker, the medical director of Cleveland Clinic Children’s Level III NICU at Hillcrest Hospital. 

“Kimberly wanted us to do everything we could for her twins,” Saker told the media.

After birth, both twins had to be immediately resuscitated and intubated, before being whisked away to the NICU. 

Remembering that fateful day, Kimberly can only remember how tiny they were. 

“I saw Kimyah for a split second before she was taken to the NICU, and I just remember thinking, ‘No, she’s too small. She’s too small,’” the mother recalled, fearing for her twins’ survival. 

NICU nurses say the twins could easily fit in the palm of their hands — and newborn diapers were too big for the tiny pair. The babies could not even be held at first — as their skin was too fragile — such a difficult situation for Kimberly, who worked closely with the NICU care team in any way she could. 

Allowing the care team to take the lead, Kimberly said, “Every morning I would get an update from the doctors on how they did overnight and what the plan for the day was.” 

And she made sure her little ones heard her voice. 

“I would then go into the NICU just to talk to my babies. I pretty much lived at the NICU for four and a half months.”

Kimberly’s entire family became staples within the NICU unit. “We celebrated every milestone with them while they were in the hospital. At one month, my mom, uncle and some other family came together to throw a party for the twins at the hospital with a cake. We had their baby shower at three months, and we even did a photo shoot to mark their due date, which was Valentine’s Day,” Kimberly recalled. 

And this family approach is something that is a hallmark of most NICU units across the country, as a holistic familial approach to medicine is vital in these critical situations with such small preemies.

“A patient’s family being part of their care is very important. It’s something we call family-centered care,” Saker told the Register. “Kimberly was very involved from the beginning. I think this played a role in improving Kimyah and DJ’s outcomes and helping them overcome their obstacles.”

After 138 days, Kimyah and DJ finally graduated from the NICU and were able to head home for the very first time — filling their mother with excitement and fear all at once.   

“I was super excited when I found out they were able to come home, but a little nervous as well,” the new mother of two said. “They needed to remain on oxygen since their lungs were so underdeveloped when they were born. I also needed to continue checking their blood-oxygen saturation levels with a pulse oximeter.”

The entire Cleveland Clinic team came to celebrate the graduation, which saw little Kimyah donning a pink cap and gown and DJ matching in blue. Saker, along with the two main nurses helping the tiny infants during their stay, were among those offering their well wishes. Nurse Becky says she will never forget them. 

“It was a huge celebration,” she remembered. “During their time in the NICU, I treated them as if they were my own children. I love them like I love my own girls and formed a bond with them that will stick with me forever.”

Now that the twins are safely home, Kimberly is relishing every moment watching her children not only survive but thrive. 

“Kimyah and DJ are very active and love exploring,” Kimberly said. “Thinking about everything they’ve been through, it was hard to imagine us ever getting to this point. It was unclear if they would be able to do anything by themselves. Now, they’re trying to do everything by themselves,” she said with a laugh, adding, “You have to stay positive and focus on the outcome you want.”

Rewarding moments like these are what Saker and the nurses’ work is all about. “It’s amazing to see the twins thriving. It serves as a reminder to all of us here why we do what we do every day,” he said. 

And hopefully stories like these will weigh heavily on the minds and hearts of voters in Ohio this fall.