Watch what happens when a nurse puts dying baby next to her twin to say final goodbye


It all began when twin sisters Kyrie and Brielle Jackson were born in a hospital in Massachussets on October 17, 1995. But they did not get the easiest start to life. As they came into the world 12 weeks premature, the twins weighed a mere one kilogram each.

The twins were placed in separate incubators. Kyrie’s condition improved rapidly and she gained weight after her birth, but the twin sister Brielle had a much more difficult time. She screamed and cried a lot, had difficulty breathing, and was blue in the face.


After a few days, Brielle’s condition was deteriorating. A nurse in the ICU, Gayle Kasparian, did everything to try to help her. She picked her up and held her. She let her father hold her. She wrapped her in a blanket. She wiped the mucus from her nose and tried to comfort her. Nothing worked. She was dying slowly.

On-duty NICU nurse, Gayle Kasparaian wanted to try something that hadn’t been practiced in the USA yet. She put the stronger twin, Kyrie, into the incubator Brielle was in.

Kyrie’s next gesture has been described as nothing short of a miracle; she put her tiny arm around Brielle, whose stats instantly began to stabilise. A photographer captured the beautiful image now known as the “Rescuing Hug”.

Here is video of the incident :



A photographer from a local paper caught a very special moment shared between the twin sisters — a photo that would be iconic for years to come.



Image via : Twitter




The picture later spread like wildfire on the internet and even ended up on the cover of Life and Reader’s Digest. The media attention on parents Heidi and Paul Jackson became so great that at some point they changed their phone number. Absolutely everyone wanted to follow the twins’ development.

It was the first time the hospital had attempted such a thing and Gayle Kasparian was praised for her common sense, which led to saving the baby girl. Of course you should not separate twins, thought Gayle. Exactly!

Brielle and Kyrie are now living healthy and happy adult lives, forever indebted to Gayle.





The event changed the hospitals guidelines on twin births and clinical studies have shown that there are clear health benefits of placing the twins in the same bed. The famous hug has helped to save lives and changed the way you treat premature twins.

Together, we are stronger.
Sources : one, two