One of the twins was dying. A nurse broke protocol and joined them together. What happened next changed medicine.
Brielle and Kyrie Jackson were born 12 weeks premature in October 1995 at Central Massachusetts Medical Center. Each weighed about 2 pounds. Hospital protocol required the twins to be placed in separate incubators to prevent infection.
Kyrie, the slightly older twin, was adjusting well. But Brielle was not. She had breathing problems, an irregular heart rate, and extremely low oxygen levels. On November 12, her condition worsened. Her skin turned blue-gray. Her heart rate skyrocketed. The medical staff tried every conventional treatment. But nothing worked.
Nurse Gayle Kasparian made a decision. She had heard about “bed sharing” being used in Europe. The method was not yet available in the United States, but she had no choice. With the parents’ permission, she placed Brielle in an incubator with Kyrie for the first time since birth.
Brielle immediately snuggled up to her sister and began to calm down. Her blood oxygen levels soared. Her breathing eased. As she drifted off to sleep, Kyrie wrapped her tiny arms around her struggling sister. Brielle’s heart rate stabilized. Her temperature returned to normal. Her complexion returned to normal.
The photo of Kyrie holding Brielle became known as “The Rescue Hug.” When it appeared in Life and Reader’s Digest in 1996, it sparked widespread adoption of bed-sharing for premature twins. At that hospital alone, more than 100 sets of twins shared a bed, with no cases of infection.
The twins went home healthy before Christmas. They continued to sleep together for years. One nurse’s willingness to try something unique saved a life and changed the way hospitals treat premature babies.