Miracle twins who defied the odds were the 'smallest pair surgeons had ever seen'
13.01.2024 - 17:53
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
They were once dubbed the 'miracle twins' by doctors at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital.
Evie and April Hardiker were born with a condition so rare it only affects one in 4,000 newborn babies - being described by surgeons as 'the smallest set of twins they had ever seen'.
The tots both had Oesophageal Atresia with Tracheo-Oesophageal Fistula, a condition where the oesophagus (food pipe) is not connected to the stomach which can lead to serious complications.
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Parents Lindsay, 38, and Steve, 51, from Burnley, feared the worst as they were told Evie weighed just 720g and April 820g; each the equivalent weight of a loaf of bread. Within hours of being born April and Evie were taken to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital for major life-saving surgery, led by Consultant Surgeons David Wilkinson and Nick Lansdale.
Now, against the all the odds, Evie and April are five years old and finding their feet at primary school since joining in September.
It follows years of managing their condition. The twins need regular checks at the hospital, with Evie still needing a feeding tube until only a year ago.
“I don’t know where to start with the challenges we’ve had.” said Lindsay. “Evie is very small for her age and gets poorly easily, April is a bit more resistant to illness but there are still lots of check-up appointments needed to keep an eye on their condition.
“The condition means Evie gets chest infections much easier and struggles in winter, but the problems don’t end in summer as April tends to be worse through that season – if it’s not one then it’s the other!
“They’ll both have to continue being seen by the hospital until