Adorable moment newborn twin comforts disabled brother as he fights for life in incubator

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by Emma Dodds |
Published on

This will melt your heart

After giving birth to twins Cooper and Lucas in April 2013, Kerrie Keen would have been feeling nothing but happiness over her new arrivals.

However, when the twins were only hours old, she was devastated to find out that Cooper needed to be moved into the neonatal unit as he had low glucose levels.

Unfortunately, Cooper then suffered from seizures during the night and his oxygen levels dipped.

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Cooper was born with hydrocephalus - excess fluids in the brain (Credit: GoFundMe/ Kerrie Keen) ©GoFundMe/ Kerrie Keen

The newborn then had to spend five weeks in hospitals as doctors tried to diagnose him. Speaking to the MailOnline, she said: "We didn't know what was wrong. We were told he had suffered multiple brain bleeds. We didn't have a clue what to think about it, it was awful."

"One theory was that he possibly had a stroke in the womb. They think there was possibly a problem with the placenta and Cooper wasn't getting enough nutrients."

To make matters even worse for the new mum, Lucas was then admitted to a hospital in Larbert, 25 miles away from his twin who was being treated in Glasgow.

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Kerrie with baby Cooper (Credit: Facebook/ Kerrie Keen) ©Facebook/ Kerrie Keen

She described how Lucas had lost too much weight for a newborn. She said: "The problem was that I was trying to breastfeed and pump for Cooper. I thought he was getting enough but he wasn't."

As soon as Lucas was better, Kerrie, 36, took him immediately to see his twin, explaining that the medical staff even set up a little cot for Lucas so that he could sleep next to his brother.

She said: "I thought it was important. We used to put Lucas into the incubator with Cooper and they'd hold hands."

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The boys used to snuggle up together as babies (Credit: Facebook/ Kerrie Keen) ©Facebook/ Kerrie Keen

Almost seven months after his birth, Cooper was diagnosed in the November with cerebral palsy and hydrocephalus - an excess of fluids in the brain.

Kerrie, from Clackmannan, Scotland, described how the condition had been mentioned to her whilst Cooper was in the neonatal unit, as had the idea of using shunts: "My husband and I didn't know what a shunt was.

"They were measuring the circumference of his head. It was getting noticeably bigger so they referred us to hospital. I remember the surgeon was a bit shocked."

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Now nearly four-years-old, the twins are thick as thieves (Credit: Facebook/ Kerrie Keen) ©Facebook/ Kerrie Keen

Unfortunately, Cooper's shunt stopped working after 10 months, meaning that he needed to have a replacement fitted. She said that the toddler started being sick, and that "his eyes were rolling around in his head and he was close to being in a coma."

But as soon as his new shunt was fitted, Kerrie described him as being "a completely different child."

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After his new shunt was fitted, Cooper seemed better almost immediately (Credit: GoFundMe/ Kerrie Keen) ©GoFundMe/ Kerrie Keen

She said: "After his operation he was giggling away, it was amazing."

The mum-of-three then explained that the children are now "inseparable", saying: "They are brilliant together, Lucas totally understands Cooper and he really tries to help him."

Kerrie describes her son as being "fun-loving" (Credit: GoFundMe/ Kerrie Keen)

Kerrie and her husband, Owen, are now raising money to help make a more accessible home for the tot, who will be four this April.

Writing on her GoFundMe page, she said: "We are now in a position where Cooper is becoming heavy to carry up and downstairs and we now desperately need our family home adapted to suit Cooper's disabilities and his needs.

"What we desperately need is a bedroom downstairs for Cooper and to also widen doorways to ensure Cooper has access with his wheelchair. Also, to give Cooper full access to our garden would be fantastic!

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The two boys are "inseparable" (Credit: Facebook/ Kerrie Keen) ©Facebook/ Kerrie Keen

"He is such a loving and fun-loving boy so we want to be able to provide a happy home for him."

If you would like to donate to the Keen family's cause, simply click here to be taken to the page.

Do you have a disabled child? Have you modified your home in any way? Let us know over on Facebook and Twitter.

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