Identical twins are a miracle all by themselves. Births like this happen three or four times in 1000.
Savannah Combs, a first time mother, learned she was carrying twins. She and her husband were overjoyed by the thought of welcoming two babies.
Everything went well with the pregnancy and the couple learned they were expecting girls. However, they also learned that their identical twins both had Down Syndrome. The news came as a shock at first, but Savannah, 23, soon realized that the condition only meant that her girls would be super special. She didn’t mind they would be born with the syndrome. Of course, she was aware that there would be people who wouldn’t accept her bundles of joy, but that didn’t concern her a great deal.
“It’s very rare what they have, but they’ve been my little gems,” the proud mother told News4JAX.
Once the girls were born, Savannah and her husband Justin decided to share their journey on TikTok. The two tiny beauties, Kennadi Rue and Mckenli gained a number of followers on the social media where Savannah posted about each of the milestones they reached.
In one of the videos she shared on TikTok, Savannah revealed how doctors advised her to terminate her pregnancy because the chances of her girls to survive were slim, but she decided to give them a fighting chance. As it turned out, she did the right thing. ”Every [prenatal] appointment they were alive was a blessing to me,” Savannah explained.
They were born five weeks prematurely and had to spend some time at the NICU. Today, they are nine months old and thriving. In fact, they are just like any other baby out there.
“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,” Savannah explained.
“Mo di twins as it is, it’s like very rare. And then you throw Down syndrome on top of it, it’s like one in 2 million.”
“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,” she added. “Like I said, it may be a step behind but they’re going to do it. I’ve learned these kids are feisty little things and happy little things.”
She loves showing the world that having Down Syndrome doesn’t necessarily mean the life of those people is in any way affected negatively.
“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.”
Of course, there are always those who post negative comments and judge Savannah for keeping her babies.
”I wouldn’t want those babies; if mine came out like that, they would be straight up for adoption,” one person wrote under one of the videos. However, this mother had just the right answer for the mean person. “I said, good thing they weren’t born to you and were born to me. God knew what he was doing by giving these babies to the right parents who would love them regardless,” Savannah replied.
These girls are truly happy for having a mom like Savannah who wants to raise awareness about Down Syndrome and teach the world that those who have it can lead a happy and fulfilling lives, just like her two beautiful angels.
For more on this family’s beautiful life story go to the video below.
“I Lost Both Of My Legs Because Of A Tampon”, Lauren Wasser Defied the Odds and Became a Prominent Model
Lauren Wasser is a model and activist who has overcome incredible odds to become a prominent figure in the fashion industry. In 2012, Wasser lost both legs due to toxic shock syndrome (TSS) caused by a tampon. Despite this devastating setback, Wasser refused to let it define her. She has since become a vocal advocate for women’s health and safety, using her platform to raise awareness about the dangers of TSS and the need for better menstrual product regulation.
Lauren Wasser grew up in a family of models.
Lauren Wasser was born into the fashion industry in California on March 2, 1988. Her parents were both professional models, and she first appeared in Vogue alongside her mom when she was just 4 months old. Unsurprisingly, the young girl would be drawn to this career path.
She lived a full and active life until she became ill.
Lauren Wasser was a talented basketball player who even received a prestigious athletic scholarship. However, she decided to pursue her modeling career instead. Even so, she maintained an active lifestyle for several years.
Her world was turned upside down at the young age of 24.
AtThe Diary of a CEOpodcast, Lauren Wasser, age 35, shockingly revealed her harrowing experience by saying, “I lost both of my legs because of a tampon.”
The syndrome results from an overgrowth of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria in the body, which can produce a deadly toxin in the bloodstream. TSS first caught public attention in the United States in the late 1970s when several young women became gravely ill. By the 1980s, the syndrome was infecting people at a rate of approximately 6 in 100,000.
It all started with flu-like symptoms, followed by renal failure and, ultimately, two heart attacks, all due to the rare and life-threatening syndrome. With a slim chance of surviving, doctors had to put Wasser into a medically-induced coma to save her life.
After regaining consciousness a week and a half later, Lauren Wasser shared in a poignant interview, “I woke up a week and a half later and had no idea what had even happened. They pumped me full of 80 pounds of fluid.” Tragically, her situation worsened as gangrene spread, causing her right leg and left foot to be engulfed in searing pain. “From there, my feet were on fire, and gangrene set into my right leg and my left foot. There was no option. I had to amputate my right leg.” Then, in 2018, she faced another heartbreaking setback as her left leg had to be amputated.
Lauren Wasser advocates for TSS awareness and safer menstrual products.
As she spoke out about the dangers of TSS, Lauren Wasser emphasized the harmful constituents of tampons, stating, “[They] are made using chlorine bleach, dioxin, and synthetic fibers, which create the perfect storm in our bodies.”
“I have been working with a mother who lost her teenage daughter to TSS when she was 18 — Madeline Mosby. Through the darkness and trauma of that, we have joined forces in wanting to change the world.”
She returned to modeling and became the “girl with the golden legs.”
“My whole job has been to show that you are enough, and you’re beautiful in the skin you’re in and highlighting your scars and the things that you hate most.” With this resolution in mind, Lauren Wasser decided to return to the modeling industry and started looking for gigs again. While many of her colleagues supported her decision to return to modeling, some doubted whether she could make a successful comeback.
Wasser decided to choose gold-toned prosthetics instead of prosthetics that matched her skin color after entirely accepting her new condition. “Making it my own and giving it life, so to speak, changed my perception,” she said, explaining her choice in an interview. Thus, she became the “girl with the golden legs” and started walking for famous designers again.
Currently, she’s still taking the fashion world by storm and fighting for more inclusivity.
Following the amputation of her left leg due to chronic pain, the model is now able to lead a more active lifestyle. She has resumed playing basketball, which is her passion and is even preparing for a marathon shortly. Additionally, Wasser’s modeling career is flourishing as she walked for Gabriela Hearst and Louis Vuitton in 2022 and was featured in Lacoste, Furla, and Shiseido campaigns.
In addition to her thriving modeling career, Wasser remains dedicated to advocating for inclusivity and acceptance of individuals with disabilities and diverse conditions within the fashion industry. Her activism and contributions to the fashion world have earned her a spot on Harper’s Bazaar’s special-edition Women of the Year 2022 covers, alongside other inspiring women.” I’ve worked so hard to be myself and never take ‘no’ for an answer,” is how Lauren Wasser sums up her success.
Lauren Wasser’s incredible journey from tragedy to triumph is just the beginning of a new era in modeling. Stay tuned to learn about 16 more unusual models who are revolutionizing the beauty industry.
Preview photo credit theimpossiblemuse / Instagram, theimpossiblemuse / Instagram
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