Twins! Just the mere mention conjures images of double the joy, double the diapers, and, well, double everything. Yet, nature seems slightly stingy with this bundle offering. Despite a 72% surge in twin births from 1980 to 2018, only about 33 in every 1,000 births are twin births.
And let’s not even talk about identical twins. Out of 1,000 births, only about three to four pairs are identical. So, if you spy an identical twin pair, you might just want to buy a lottery ticket.
Enter Savannah Combs, a radiant 23-year-old from Middleburg, Florida, overjoyed upon learning she was carrying twins. The plot twist? Both her babies, Kennadi Rue and Mckenli Ackerman, have Down syndrome, a rare occurrence within an already rare situation.
Initially, the news hit like a ton of bricks. Savannah and her husband, Justin Ackerman, braced themselves for a world that often isn’t kind to differences.
But here’s the deal: Savannah believes that what makes her twins rare also makes them incredibly beautiful. “It’s very rare what they have, but they’ve been my little gems,” she shares, and you can almost hear the pride in her voice.
Documenting her postpartum journey on TikTok, Savannah’s videos with her daughters went viral. The world was captivated. Why? Because despite grim advice to abort, Savannah chose hope. She chose her babies.
“Every [prenatal] appointment they were alive was a blessing to me,” she explains, radiating a strength that’s as rare as her twins’ condition.
Fast forward to 29 weeks into her pregnancy, with her husband away at boot camp, Savannah delivered her miracles. On May 12, 2021, Kennadi Rue and Mckenli Ackerman made their grand entrance, albeit two months early, nestled in their NICU sanctuary before heading home.
“They’re called mono di twins,” Savannah explains, unraveling the medical marvel. These twins had their own sacs but shared a placenta, making them identical. Add Down syndrome, and it’s a one-in-2-million scenario.
Yet, to Savannah, they’re just your average toddlers with a little extra sparkle. “They have feelings. They have a beating heart. They know how to talk. They know how to do things you do. They will get there,” she asserts with the kind of confidence only a loving mom can muster.
Learning from her feisty little fighters, Savannah takes every milestone in stride and shares these moments on TikTok, chronicling their journey.
Her message is clear and hopeful: “I’m going to let them know that they’re just like us and they’re going to get there as long as they put their minds to it.”
Of course, in the age of social media, critics lurk in the comment shadows. Among the keyboard warriors, one particularly heartless remark lobbed at Savannah was, “I wouldn’t want those babies; if mine came out like that, they would be straight up for adoption.” Ouch!
But Savannah, channeling her inner momma bear, snapped back perfectly on Facebook: “I said, good thing they weren’t born to you and were born to me. God knew what he was doing by giving these babies to the right parents who would love them regardless.”
Savannah’s story is a radiant reminder that beauty often defies convention. Her twins, Kennadi and Mckenli, are proof that true beauty and strength come from embracing what makes us unique. Let’s spread the love and awareness about this inspiring family far and wide!
