Saved by his twin: Their incredible bond helped with Junior’s recovery
Little Gracie was determined her twin brother would always be by her side. Here, their mum Rosie Exon, 44, shares their touching storyé
The sun had barely risen, but my husband Paul and I could hear tiny feet thudding along the hall.
From outside our bedroom door, we heard two excited voices. ‘Prepare yourself,’ Paul said as i forced myself awake. suddenly the door flew open and two little blondehaired figures – gracie and Junior, then three – came tottering in.
‘get up, get up,’ they chorused. Woken by the commotion, our eldest daughter mia, seven, ran in too.
Incredible bond
it was december 2016, and although it sounds like christmases around the world as little ones wake early to open presents, to Paul and i it was extra special. Just 12 months before, we could never have imagined such a scene would ever be possible. even now, as we look forward to this christmas, we’ll treasure the moment when the twins come charging in to see us. you see, things could have been so very different if it wasn’t for the incredible bond that gracie and Junior share…
From the moment they were born there was an extra special closeness between them. i’d gone into labour at just 30 weeks and Junior had arrived weighing 3lb 9oz and gracie just 3lb. They’d needed intensive care, and Paul and i had sat by their incubators, seeing the forest of wires protruding from their tummies, wondering how they’d ever be strong enough to face the world. But over the next 10 weeks, they defied all expectations. When one progressed, the other quickly followed. soon they were both breathing on their own, and finally, in august 2013, they were able to come home.
But while gracie was a bouncy baby who nestled into your arms, Junior seemed stiffer, agitated and slower in his development. ‘he’s a late bloomer,’ the midwife said. mia adored being big sister to the new arrivals, and she helped me as i learned to cope with two babies at once. But every milestone gracie achieved made Junior appear even more behind. By the time they turned nine months, Junior still couldn’t sit in his high chair while gracie was taking her first steps. she’d keep on at her brother, trying to get him to copy her, but Junior just couldn’t keep up. Then one night when he was 11 months old, he suffered terrible reflux, causing him to vomit violently. Paul stayed with mia as i rushed Junior to a&e near our home in leicestershire. he was referred for an mri scan. When the results finally came back, a consultant sat Paul and i down. ‘your son has cerebral palsy,’ she said. she explained it was a movement disorder that disrupted the body’s ability
‘Doctors said Junior would never be able to stand alone’
to control muscles. ‘Will Junior ever be able to walk?’ i asked. The consultant explained that he would need intensive physiotherapy, but it was unlikely he’d be able to even stand. Paul and i left the hospital heartbroken.
Junior began his physiotherapy but his muscles were so tight, even the simplest stretches left him screaming in pain. Then one night, Paul showed me an article about a pioneering operation in the Us. doctors had developed a way of cutting the damaged sensory fibre nerves that cause muscle stiffness.
The operation would cost £30,000, plus we’d need money for flights and post-op care. it seemed like an unreachable target, but Paul and i immediately threw ourselves into organising as many auctions and sponsored raffle sales as we could, and in october 2015, 15 months after we started, we had reached an incredible £49,000.
Learning to walk
Thrilled, we booked the operation for december 2015. By now, Junior and gracie were two years old and completely inseparable. Wherever she went, Junior tried to follow. his physiotherapist devised games they could play together. Their favourite was the teddy bears’ picnic, where cups and saucers were placed at one end of the room and teddy bears at the other. gracie and Junior would crawl between the two. seeing gracie speed off, Junior learned to crawl faster. By the time we flew to america, he was progressing well. But it was still terrifying for Paul and me as we watched our son being taken for surgery. Then, after six anxious hours, the doctor told us it had been a success. ‘as soon as Junior’s stronger we can begin with more physiotherapy,’ the doctor explained. To our delight, Junior recovered well, and Paul and i were so relieved to see him begin to move about more easily. But it was gracie who really got excited. When her brother returned home, she’d keep on at him to stand up in his walker and try and follow her down the hall. ‘come on,’ she’d say. Junior would respond to her commands. if he struggled, she’d run back and help him until he could start walking again. ‘she’s just like a little nurse,’ i laughed. soon, Junior had ditched the walker and was able to get about with two metal canes before then learning to manage with just one. and in december 2016, a year after his operation, Junior, then three, took his first unaided steps. gracie and i were standing at one end of the room and when she called him, he began to take one step, then another, all on his own. When he finally tottered into my arms, i scooped him up into the biggest hug. ‘clever boy,’ i gasped as gracie jumped up and down. ‘he can walk now,’ she said proudly. over the next weeks, Paul and i watched as our little boy grew stronger and more confident. it’s what made christmas last year so magical, when he and gracie came into our bedroom and there was our boy walking in all by himself. now Junior’s four and has started school with gracie, and this year he’s even asking Father christmas for a skateboard and pogo stick! There was a time Paul and i thought our son would spend his life in a wheelchair. But thanks to the endless encouragement of his twin, this christmas will see our brave boy having all the fun he deserves.
‘Wherever Gracie went, Junior tried to follow’