Identical twins Emmet Michael O’Brien and Finn Kelly O’Brien were born just after noon on Saturday, July 23. They were just 25 weeks and 2 days gestational age after being diagnosed with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome only a week-and-a-half prior, and despite all efforts to have them spend more time in utero, the doctors determined that day that our babies would need to be delivered. They joined our family at 12:15 pm and 12:16 pm, respectively, each weighing 1 pound, 8 ounces.

The first hours of their lives were a blur, as doctors rushed to check their respiratory and cardiovascular systems, ensure they had enough nutrients, and undertake the countless complicated tasks needed to care for “micro preemies.”  While Finn was slowly able to stabilize after a blood transfusion and some other help, Emmet was not so fortunate. By 8:30 pm we were urgently rushing from Shannon’s hospital room to the NICU to be with Emmet, and as it slowly became clear that even the world’s best doctors and medicine wouldn’t be able to do anything for him, we were able to spend a precious few minutes holding Dermot and Finn’s brother.  Emmet passed away early Sunday morning, July 24, surrounded by his mom, his dad, and his lifelong companion Finn.

Please feel free to read “Emmet and Finn’s Story” if you’d like the longer, more detailed version of how we got to where we are now.

And please visit the “Updates on Finn” page for the latest news, as Emmet’s brother fights to get bigger and stronger each and every day so that eventually, he can come home. If you’d like to get an email update whenever there’s a new post, click the menu button on the top right and enter your address under “Get Email Updates.”