The world’s most premature twins celebrated their first birthday after being born 126 days early, when doctors said they could not be saved.
Adiah and Adrial were born at just 22 weeks and weighed less than a pound each.
The twins’ mum and father, Shakina Rajendram and Kevin Nadaraga, prayed for a miracle after Shakina went into premature labor and was told that the local Toronto area hospital could only offer comfort care and allow them to pass naturally.
They declared that God was in control, and told in recent TikTok videos how their trust in God had ‘solidified’ them through the difficult period.
Adiah and Adrial now hold the world record for the lightest and heaviest twins born, according to Guinness World Records.
The world’s premature twins Adiah and Adrial celebrated their first birthday in March after being born 126 days early, with doctors saying there was nothing they could do to save them.
Twins’ mum and father Shakina Rajendram and Kevin Nadarajah prayed for a miracle after Shakina went into premature labor and was told there was nothing the doctors could do.
Shakina and Kevin were still experiencing another pregnancy loss when Shakina went into premature labor at just 21 weeks – just over four months pregnant.
They were “in complete shock” when the doctors told them there was no hope of the twins surviving.
“We just felt…that it wasn’t happening,” Kevin said. “I was talking to God overnight and I just told him, ‘We need a sign of hope that things are going to change.'” ”
Every minute before birth meant a better chance of survival for the twins.
“We knew that if they were born even a few minutes ago, it would be a matter of life and death,” Shakina said.
Shakina was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital and the twins were born just an hour after reaching 22 weeks.
Like some premature babies, they had some complications. The twins suffered from cerebral hemorrhage, intestinal perforation, and lung disease due to prematurity. But there were also moments close to death.
The twins’ parents declared God was in control, telling in recent TikTok videos how their trust in God ‘solidified’ them through a difficult period.
Adrial has faced a more difficult road to recovery than his sister, but both kids live up to their accomplishments, their parents said, many of whom they documented in TikTok videos.
“We had many difficult conversations with doctors… Doctors would come to us and say, ‘Maybe it’s time to pull Medicare,'” Shakina said.
But the parents refused to give up their twins, adding that their trust in God had “anchored” them during the difficult period.
But we saw what the doctors didn’t see, which is the fighting spirit of our children. We saw that the children had a will to survive…they never gave up despite all these complications. Shakina said they were moving forward.
(He) reassured us that as parents we have to fight for them (too). Even though the odds were stacked against us, I felt like sometimes we were the only ones who advocated giving children life-sustaining measures.
The community supported the family with their prayers, who saw through the miraculous recovery of the twins.
Even the medical team started looking for hope and after six turbulent months in the neonatal intensive care unit (‘NICU’), the twins were finally able to come home.
“The medical care team played a really interesting and important role, but they weren’t the only ones keeping the kids alive,” Shakina said.
In the end, they believed that God “controls children’s lives and will keep them safe,” Kevin said.
“It helped give us faith and hope to keep going even when we saw really difficult (and) scary things,” Shakina added.
Adrial has faced a more difficult road to recovery than his sister, but both kids are living up to their accomplishments, their parents said, many of whom they have documented on TikTok videos.
Adiya has come home breathing and eating on her own… He’s rolling over… Learning how to sit up independently. She is very feisty, said Shakina.
“She loves to chat and gossip all day… also very loving and sweet towards her twin brother.”
Adrial has needed help breathing but has been completely off oxygen for the past month and has made great progress.
Now, the parents are using TikTok and the twins’ story to share how medical professionals see the viability of premature babies.
Shakina noted that there are those who say babies born this early should not be saved because of the risk of disability, but she wants people to know that with the right support and treatment, they can still thrive.
“There is no denying the fact that, statistically speaking, children born in this period are at a high risk of developing diseases,” admitted Kevin.
“Could there be more that could be done in terms of policy, management, care given to parents, and conversations with parents in a more balanced (approach) rather than just the risk of death and disability?” Asked.
