When they are anticipating the arrival of their new kid, the majority of families’ first worry is that their child will be born healthy. However, not all expectant parents decide to go through with genetic testing before their infants are born. On May 12, 2021, parents Justin Ackerman and Savannah Combs of Jacksonville, Florida, brought their twin children into the world two months earlier than their due date. They were aware that one of their children may have a genetic issue, but they decided against doing more tests despite this knowledge. Both of the Ackerman sisters’ daughters, Mckenli and Kennadi, were born with Down syndrome, which makes them one in a million.
According to the data collected on the subject of how many infants are born with Down syndrome, the probability of both children in a set of twins getting the condition is exceedingly remote. Even though the parents were taken aback by the information, they were overjoyed to find out that both of their girls were in good health and content. Due to the fact that they were delivered prematurely, the twins were required to spend additional time in the hospital. Therefore, it was a really memorable occasion for them when they were finally allowed to travel home with their mother and father.
Due to the fact that the genetic illness is brought on by the presence of a portion of or an entire third copy of chromosome 21, the condition known as Down syndrome is sometimes referred to as trisomy 21. The lives of persons who have Down syndrome might differ drastically from person to person. Some students complete high school, continue their education at an institution of higher learning, and then choose to enter the workforce. On the other hand, some people have a greater need for support as adults with financial and legal concerns and may never be able to live on their own. It is suggested that persons who have Down syndrome have routine checkups and screenings for their health throughout their whole lives.
Continue reading to get more information on Mckenli and Kennadi, as well as to find out how they are doing at the moment.
Make sure you read all the way through to the end of this post to see the whole video.
Although each kid is unique and wonderful, McKenli and Kennadi may really be considered “rare.” According to Dr. Pamela Trapane, who serves as the medical director of the Duran Genetics Center at Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, the occurrence of both twins being born with Down syndrome is “extremely rare.”
When Mckenli and Kenadi were initially brought into the world, everyone was taken aback by their appearance. The medical practitioner said, “Around two out of every 1,000 pregnancies involving twins will result in at least one child having Down syndrome.” On the other hand, prior to a pregnancy there is a one in one million to one in five million probability that the pregnancy will result in twins and that both of the twins will have Down syndrome.
It’s impossible to predict how someone would respond to unexpected information, and that was definitely the case with these parents. Combs’ husband, Ackerman, was described as being “very emotional” when he initially discovered the prognosis of the twins; however, Combs said that she was “just happy they were here.”
Before Combs and Ackerman’s kids were born, the couple was informed that there was a significant possibility that one of their children would have Down syndrome. Despite this, they chose not to carry out any additional genetic testing by doing an amniocentesis since it is an intrusive treatment that sadly contains the risk of a miscarriage and they wanted to reduce the likelihood of it occurring. The woman who was giving birth for the first time said that “Every (prenatal) appointment they were alive was a blessing to me.”
In January of 2022, the infants reportedly reached “milestones like no other,” as described by Combs. Their mother believed that they were getting near to being able to crawl during the time that they were attending weekly sessions of both physical and occupational therapy.
Both of the twins have a really endearing quality about them. Both of the daughters are doing well, which has to make their parents really happy. Combs also said that there is a significant difference between the two sets of twins. Kennadi, it would seem, is a “ray of sunshine,” whereas Mckenli is “a total diva.”
She captioned one of the pictures of the twins with the following: “Mk will never smile well sometimes lol.”
In an interview with News4Jax that took place in October 2021, when the twins were five months old, Combs confirmed his previous statement, saying, “It’s very rare what they have, but they’ve been my little gems.”
Combs also added, “They’re called mono di twins, meaning that they had their own sacs, but they shared the same placenta, meaning that they were going to be identical.” She went on to say that having Mo di twins is a very unusual occurrence. And if you add in the fact that they have Down syndrome, the odds are something like one in two million.”
According to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, mosaic Down syndrome is caused by the presence of an additional copy of the 21st chromosome, which would lead to the presence of 47 chromosomes rather than the typical 46. Babies born with this disorder could have normal features or milder manifestations of Down syndrome, depending on the severity of their condition.
Combs, who is a mother, also had something essential to say about her kids, and she reminded everyone that her children are the same as any other baby. “They are capable of feeling. They have a heart that is actively beating. They have good verbal skills. They are proficient in the activities that you engage in. They will eventually arrive. As I said before, it is possible that they will be a step behind, but they are going to accomplish it. The doting mother shared her insight, “I’ve realized these children are spirited little people who are also happy little people.”
The only thing that Combs wanted people to take away from Down Syndrome Awareness Month was the knowledge that children born with the disease are just as valuable as everyone else. They are exactly the same as us. She said that despite the fact that both of her children had Down syndrome, she would not treat them any differently.
It is not simple to bring up a kid that you love passionately but who will be treated differently by the world just due to the fact that they appear different. The stigma that is often associated with Down syndrome may be challenging for families to navigate, despite the fact that parents of children diagnosed with the illness are aware that their children are just like any other.
However, Combs and her family are using their TikTok channel in an effort to dispel the stereotypes and negative connotations that are associated with having a kid who has Down syndrome.
On the other hand, in spite of the affection that has been given to the family and their infants, there are trolls on TikTok who have not been shy about expressing their contempt for Combs’ love for her children. On October 6, 2021, a mother of two went on her Facebook page for the first time and revealed that some trolls had written bad remarks about her infants. She also published her answer to one specific troll and spoke about how she felt about the situation.
“I had no idea the girls would become so popular on Tik Tok; it took me by surprise.” Just being funny,” Combs started before she explained that part of their viewers on TikTok had been pretty “mean.”
“I had one tell me ‘I wouldn’t want those babies if mine came out like that they would be straight up for adoption,'” the naysayer said. “I had one tell me ‘I wouldn’t want those babies if mine came out like that.” Then Combs responded with:
I responded by saying, “Thank goodness they weren’t born to you and were born to me instead.” “God knew what he was doing when he gave these babies to the right parents who would love them no matter what,” the woman said.
She went on to say that
“I will always adore my kids, and it is such a blessing to see them develop each and every day!!!! We can always have another kid who is deemed “normal,” but in my opinion, my two daughters are perfectly normal, and they are both leading what I would consider to be pretty darn nice lives.
One of Combs’ tweets from January 2022 showed that the family is doing well and had even made it through the COVID outbreak together, which is a blessing. We hope the best for these beautiful young ladies and the great family who raised them in the years to come.