Every once in a while, an extraordinary story emerges that captivates the world’s attention. In the bustling city of Norwich, England, a pair of twins have done just that. Born to Nicole and Todd Bailey at the Rothereham General Hospital, their arrival was nothing short of miraculous.
One of the twins was born with Down syndrome, a genetic condition that occurs in approximately 1 in 1,000 cases. The other twin, against all odds, did not share the same genetic makeup. This is a rare event that only happens in a small fraction of cases.
Meet Quinn and Harper Bailey, born on February 15 of last year, just 38 minutes apart. Their birth was as normal as any, with no one suspecting the peculiarity that lay ahead.
The doctor who welcomed the twins into the world, while acknowledging the uniqueness of their situation, could not foresee the extraordinary bond that would develop between them. The Baileys fell in love with both of them immediately and would not trade the experience for anything in the world.
Nicole shares in an interview with the English newspaper, The Mirror, that it is clear the twins share a strong bond between them, and their unique connection becomes evident as they grow together.
The couple already has a son named Lucas from an earlier marriage, and he believes it’s great to have twin sisters, even though Harper is a little different from her sister, Quinn.
Although the twins appear much like other siblings, there are some differences between them. Among other things, Harper will undergo heart operation at the age of six due to a congenital heart defect, which is common in children with Down syndrome.
While the married couple emphasizes that their approach to the twins is no different from any other siblings, the challenge arises when people stare at them or comment that one of them has Down syndrome. In fact, they are a bit perturbed by the notion that one should be regarded differently, even if one has Down syndrome. In reality, they are a little proof of “one in a million” and would not have it any other way, no matter how the pregnancy unfolded.
Here, at home too, the debate of whether the child with Down syndrome should be terminated by abortion in the event of pregnancy arises. But as the Baileys so aptly put it, rejection is not an option, and you learn to love them all the same, no matter how the pregnancy unraveled.
