Mom welcomes twins with Down syndrome in a medical miracle: "They've been my little gems"

Twins Mckenli and Kennadi Ackerman were born on May 12, 2021, almost two months before their due date. They both were born with Down syndrome which is extremely rare, according to Dr. Pamela Trapane, medical director of Wolfson Children’s Hospital’s Duran Genetics Center in Jacksonville, Florida. Dr. Trapane told TODAY, "For every 1,000 twin pregnancies, around two will have at least one baby with Down syndrome." She added, "However, the chance prior to a pregnancy that the pregnancy will be twins and that both twins will have Down syndrome is around one in 1 to 5 million.” 

During her pregnancy, Savannah Combs had an inkling that at least one of her girls could have Down syndrome, but she did not confirm this with a diagnostic test. She said, "Every [prenatal] appointment they were alive was a blessing to me." They spent roughly six weeks in Wolfson Children's Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida before going home. The father of the twins, Justin Ackerman, was "very emotional" regarding the diagnosis of his children. According to the Mayo Clinic, Down syndrome is a genetic condition produced by an extra whole or partial copy of chromosome 21 as a result of faulty cell division.

Individuals with Down syndrome have varying degrees of severity, resulting in permanent intellectual impairment and developmental disabilities. However, the mother from Jacksonville said that she was extremely happy that her kids were there despite the difficulties they all had to face dealing with the genetic condition. Down syndrome is the most frequent genetic chromosomal disease in children and the leading cause of cognitive impairments. It is also a common source of various medical problems, such as cardiac and gastrointestinal problems. However, the twins are better than ever today according to their mother. 

She spoke to News 4 Jax in October, "It’s very rare what they have, but they’ve been my little gems." She added, "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. Like I said, it may be a step behind but they’re going to do it." The twins now go to physical and occupational therapy twice a week and are just ready to start crawling, per TODAY.

Combs has made it clear that she doesn't treat her children differently. She told News 4 Jax, "They’re just like us. I’m not going to treat them any differently because they have Down syndrome." She added, "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." She told TODAY that their family of four is thriving today and the twins are, "hitting milestones like no other."