THE TWINS' STORY

Only a few weeks after learning that she was pregnant with twins, Liane Richardson realized her babies wanted to make a very early entry into the world.  She went into labor the evening of June 19, 2003, and on June 20 Payton and Logan were born, 24 weeks and 5 days early.  Payton weighed 1 pound, 12 ounces, while Logan weighed 1 pound, 11 ounces.

Babies who are born so prematurely may not have enough red blood cells to deliver the oxygen and nutrients they need.  In addition, many blood samples for testing are also necessary, leading to an increased risk of the babies developing anemia.  For this reason, many premature babies receive blood transfusions.  Both Logan and Payton needed this help and each received several transfusions during their 3-month stay in the Neonatal unit at Sacred Heart Medical Center.  During their time in the hospital, Logan had to spend two months on a ventilator, while his brother endured a month with the breathing aid.   Finally, on September 11, Liane and her husband, Mark, were able to take their new sons home.

Since then, the boys have grown like full-term infants, and in fact, by 9 months they were both considered to be at the “normal age” for infants.  All too often, premature babies develop problems as they mature, including brain damage or injury, scarring on the lungs, compromised vision, and other physical impairments.  So far Logan and Payton have shown no signs of any problems and are now just rambunctious two-year old toddlers.

Liane and the twins were able to say "thank you" to Sean, one of the blood donors, for his life-saving donation when they met at the blood bank on July 18, 2006.