Dying twin holds sister’s hand during sonogram
Published at | Updated atHUTCHINSON, Kan. — A twin that isn’t expected to live to term was captured holding his sister’s hand during a weekly sonogram.
Ian and Brittani McIntire were surprised last summer to discover not only was Brittani expecting, but there was more than one heartbeat found. Shortly after receiving their good news, they found out something was wrong with one of the babies.
Week after week, the McIntires heard their son Mason’s strong heartbeat during every ultrasound Brittani had, but doctors were not optimistic he would develop like his sister, Madilyn.
“Mason has a large hole in the bottom part of his heart that the doctor said would not close up on its own due to the size and the location,” Brittani wrote on their *GoFundMe page. “His only chance of survival would be heart surgery, which they couldn't do because of all of his other problems. Bringing me to his brain, which did not develop correctly, leaving us with a big term meaning, ‘not compatible with life.’”
As Brittani has progressed in her pregnancy, Madilyn keeps getting bigger while Mason’s growth has slowed. But this past Tuesday, doctors captured something magical during her weekly ultrasound.
"We didn't really see much, (the doctor) said there's his hand and there's her hand and it looks like they're holding hands," Brittani told KWCH. "Most twins, when (the doctor’s) trying to take pictures and stuff, they're kicking each other and hitting each other, and she said with our twins it seems like she was very protective over him."
Although Mason is most likely not going to make it to delivery, the McIntires are grateful the sweet bonding moment was captured on camera.
"We know we have a piece of them together that will last forever and it's special to have," Ian told KWCH.
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