‘Pop can size’ twins are now in good health: Clinic

According to Measuring Know How, a pop can, a key fob, a hamster, and a bowl of cereal all weigh roughly 12 ounces.

According to Cleveland Clinic spokeswoman Jenna Homrock, Kimyah Jackson weighed that much when she was delivered at the hospital, while her brother DJ was only 3 ounces heavier.

“There was only a 10-20% chance they would survive and developmental delays were possible,” Homrock said. “At just 22 weeks they became the youngest surviving twins born at Cleveland Clinic.”

The infants had to be resuscitated and intubated after their mother, Kimberly Thomas, gave birth to them.

“Kimberly spent every day and night in the NICU, unable to hold them for one month because their skin was too fragile,” Homrock added.

Doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel said Kimyah and DJ ready to go home with their parents, Kimberly and Damante Jackson, after 138 continuous days of receiving treatment in the NICU.

The twins were given a graduation ceremony by the staff at Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital, replete with caps and gowns. After spending four and a half months in the hospital, pictures of the babies show them grinning and staring at one another.

“It will still be a few years before doctors can tell if the babies will experience any developmental delays,” Holbrook said, before the sister and brother’s first birthday celebration. “The twins continue achieving their developmental milestones, gaining strength through their therapy sessions and exceeding expectations.”

Kimberly expressed her gratitude to the care staff who made it possible for her babies to return home.

“So many of their doctors and nurses showed up. Even though this is their job, a lot of them built a connection with Kimyah and DJ,” Kimberly said. “They saw them from their most critical stages to where they are now. This was [the medical staff’s] time to have time with them before Kimyah and DJ left the hospital.”

“Along with medical advancements to care for premature babies, research shows centers that push the envelope consistently have more successful outcomes,” said Firas Saker, the medical director of Cleveland Clinic Children’s Level III NICU at Hillcrest Hospital.