The Rescuing Hug

The Rescuing Hug

Adapted from the Readers Digest article “A Sister’s Helping Hand” May 1996 Pp. 155-56

I know this story has been around for a long time now, but every time I see the picture I find myself feeling inspired. It is simply so deeply touching that this expression of love between the twins helped save one of the twins’ life.  As a result, I thought I’d share the picture and a little bit of the background story, in case someone visiting hasn’t heard the story yet.

The rescuing hug is a true story about twins named Brielle and Kyrie in Westminster, Massachusetts.   They were born prematurely and one of the twins was not expected to live. 

While in their incubators in the hospital, a nurse defied the hospital rules and placed the two infants together in the same incubator.  The healthier, stronger infant placed her arm over her smaller, weaker sister in a sweet hug.

When placed together, the weaker baby began to get better. Her heart rate stabilized and her temperature rose to normal.  They both ended up surviving and thriving. 

After seeing these positive results, the hospital changed its policies and now allows multiples to bed together. One hug started a revolution that now saves the lives of many babies born prematurely as multiples.

Today, there are a lot of advanced technologies to help premature infants survive and thrive, but sometimes the best survival techniques are the simplest. 

Hugs and physical contact make a difference for people.  It is a form of nurturing and showing love that helps maintain a positive frame of mind and can often help with medical conditions.  Although hugs can sometimes be painful for someone with Fibromyalgia, the premise is the same. 

Today, I am sending out great big hugs to my friends and gentle hugs to each of my Fibro friends.