Mom Gives Birth to 1-in-2-Million Twins With Down Syndrome: ‘They Have a Beating Heart, They Do Everything We Do’

Mom Gives Birth to 1-in-2-Million Twins With Down Syndrome: ‘They Have a Beating Heart, They Do Everything We Do’
(Courtesy of Savannah Ackerman)
Epoch Inspired Staff
12/15/2021
Updated:
1/25/2022

A little over six months ago, one proud Florida mom gave birth to a pair of twins who are believed to be 1 in 2 million of a kind.

Jacksonville native Savannah Ackerman, together with her babies, successfully endured a high-risk pregnancy, after which she gave birth to Kennadi Rue and Mckenli Ackerman, who were diagnosed as mono-di twins, meaning they had their own sacs and are identical, having shared the same placenta.

“They were mono-di twins which is already really rare,” Savannah told The Epoch Times; as they were also both born with Down syndrome, the unlikeliness of the birth multiplied nearly a thousandfold.

(Courtesy of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/savannah.combs.14">Savannah Ackerman</a>)
(Courtesy of Savannah Ackerman)
(Courtesy of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/savannah.combs.14">Savannah Ackerman</a>)
(Courtesy of Savannah Ackerman)

Faced with the difficult diagnosis that their girls had Down syndrome, initially Savannah and her husband had mental hurdles of their own to overcome. They anticipated the challenges they and their daughters would encounter as they grew up.

Upon first hearing the news, her husband “had a breakdown.”

Yet the birth of their adorable twins also opened Savannah’s heart and mind. She came to the realization that “they’re just like me and you,“ she said, adding, ”They’re making their milestones ... they’re a little behind but they’re not far behind.”

Savannah believes that her purpose in being Kennadi Rue and Mckenli’s mom is to show unconditional love, she added.

Their being cute didn’t hurt either.

(Courtesy of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/savannah.combs.14">Savannah Ackerman</a>)
(Courtesy of Savannah Ackerman)
So taken was she by her twins’ smiles and adorable, chubby cheeks that she started posting videos of them on their very own TikTok channel “Down With The Akerman Twins.” The pair often appear side by side in matching head bows—two pink bundles of pure joy.

And yes, they did go viral.

So viral, in fact, that their most watched video was viewed a whopping 1.6 million times. And the cute-as-a-button pair have even garnered a following of 48,400 TikTok users, to date.

The mom also shares some of what a parent in her situation goes through.

(Courtesy of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/savannah.combs.14">Savannah Ackerman</a>)
(Courtesy of Savannah Ackerman)
(Courtesy of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/savannah.combs.14">Savannah Ackerman</a>)
(Courtesy of Savannah Ackerman)

Though Savannah’s own eyes have opened, having let go of some of her previous misgivings that her babies might be teased when they get older, she’s met some naysayers on social media.

Posting a photo of her babies on Facebook, she shared in a caption what some detractors have said, “I wouldn’t want those babies if mine came out like that they would be straight up for adoption,” to which the mom responded positively in her post:

“Lol I said good thing they weren’t born to you and were born to me. God knew what he was doing by giving these babies to the right parents who would love them regardless.”

“Those are my kids, it don’t matter what other people think,” she told the newspaper. “They’re very loving and they have a beating heart. They do everything we do. They may be a step behind, but they’re going to get there.”

(Courtesy of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/savannah.combs.14">Savannah Ackerman</a>)
(Courtesy of Savannah Ackerman)
(Courtesy of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/savannah.combs.14">Savannah Ackerman</a>)
(Courtesy of Savannah Ackerman)
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Epoch Inspired staff cover stories of hope that celebrate kindness, traditions, and triumph of the human spirit, offering valuable insights into life, culture, family and community, and nature.
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