Gavin and Grant

Ashley Johnson calls her twins, Gavin and Grant, superheroes.

She was diagnosed with an incompetent cervix, a condition that can cause the cervix to soften and open too early, often causing premature birth. At just 23 weeks pregnant, Ashley was admitted to the hospital at three-centimeters dilated.

She was placed on bed rest, but just four days later, she gave birth to her twins.

Gavin weighed just 1 pound, 2 ounces, and Grant weighed 1 pound, 5 ounces. It was just the beginning of their fight in the Baker Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Gavin had emphysema in his left lung, which had to be collapsed and restarted. He was in the NICU for four months.

Grant had a proliferated intestine and was diagnosed with NEC (necrotising enterocolitis), for which he underwent surgery. The surgery was extremely high risk, but Ashley said she knew they had to take this chance for Grant. He then underwent a second surgery to reconnect his bowels, after which he went into shock. Grant spent a total of six months in the NICU.

Now, having just turned one year old, both boys are healthy children, mom says, and are slightly ahead of where they should be, given their adjusted age.

To celebrate their birthdays this month, Ashley put a huge sign on their lawn in the Sedgwick area of Syracuse. “It was a little ostentatious, but given what they’ve been through I thought it was appropriate,” she said.

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