TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2018
Tossing and turning in his cot, baby Kian could not sleep. He seemed to be missing twin brother Kalan, who lay 12 miles away in a hospital incubator with fluid forming on his brain.
The tots were born severely premature, leaving them with a chronic lung condition which kept them in intensive care for the first six months of their lives.
While Kian had developed into a healthy, happy boy, he was not content without his sibling.
Remembering Kalan’s time at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, the boys’ carer Paulette, 63, says they couldn’t wait to be reunited.
“Kian missed his brother so much,” she smiles. “He would get up in the morning and look over at his cot.
“He would start to wake up much earlier, searching around for his brother. It was obvious he really missed him.”
Kalan is now out of hospital and the oneyear-old twins are playing with their favourite matching toy crocodiles once again.
But there is still something missing in their young lives. Kian and Kalan are two of thousands of children waiting to find their for ever home.
The twins are living with a foster carer but authorities have taken the unusual step of calling for prospective families to come forward in the hope of finding someone to adopt them.
Paulette is desperate for the pair to find a loving new family.
She says: “Children with health problems can find it difficult to find homes and it is harder for twins to find people willing to adopt them together. But the last thing we would want to do is split Kian and Kalan up. They really are two peas in a pod.
“I would say to whoever is considering adopting them, they have had a sad start to life but they really need a home and a family that will nurture and stimulate them. They are very clever, determined and lovable.
“It’s important for them to have a home where they can stay for ever.”
KPAULETTE ON THE BOYS’ ADOPTION CHALLENGE
It is harder for twins to find people willing to adopt them together
ian and Kalan were born in January last year, 24 weeks premature and weighing just 1lb 8oz each. As a result, the non-identical twins developed chronic lung disease and had to spend six months in a London hospital.
While Kian has recovered, Kalan suffered a build-up of fluid on his brain known as post-haemorrhagic hydrocephalus with a subgaleal shunt. It can cause long-term complications, including learning disabilities and memory issues. He will have regular check-ups for the rest of his life.
When Paulette, who has two grownup children, met the boys in hospital, they were still on oxygen in intensive care and taking a lot of medication.
“There are still some uncertainties about Kalan’s future due to their prema- ture birth,” she says. “But he is a very gentle and contained character, and content to play by himself.
“Although, of course, he loves reading and playing – and fighting – with his brother! When I walked into the hospital and saw them I knew I had to look after them, they looked so helpless. I spent a week in hospital learning how to give