LI F E O N WH E ELS
DOUBLE BLESSING: YOUNG TWINS WITH CEREBRAL PALSY Written by: ROSA WALSTON LATIMER
Elijah and Zariah Harris are just 5 years old; however, they have quite a story to share. The twins were born at 24 weeks and 4 days, and their combined weight was less than four pounds. The babies were born unexpectedly at home, making the early birth even more complicated, and were flown two hours away to Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, for care. Severe complications were expected as micro preemies are at a higher risk for disabilities such as cerebral palsy. Still, the primary concern was whether the twins would live through that first night. Elijah would spend the next seven months in the NICU at Cook Children’s, and his sister would stay for nine months.
Elijah and Zariah (3 years, 10 months) with mom, Stephanie and dad, Mike.
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When Elijah and Zariah were almost 2 years old, circumstances presented an opportunity for Stephanie and Mike Harris to adopt the twins. There was no hesitation on their part. “I don’t know how you can watch tiny babies fighting for their life in NICU, experiencing so many hard things, and not be deeply moved. They don’t even know what life holds for them,” Stephanie said. “We had no hesitation about bringing Elijah and Zariah into our home. There are no regrets. We just fell in love with them.” The couple only had a teenage daughter, Gabrielle, living at home and would have soon been empty nesters. The couple’s other children are older and out on their own. Stephanie had plans to go back to school and become a nurse practitioner. “I made peace that I would not achieve that goal and other plans we had. Mike and I both are committed to seeing our children thrive. We are in this together and through this experience, we’ve gotten closer,” Stephanie said. “I believe because we communicate so well, when things get crazy, we can keep each other grounded. Mike is an amazing guy! Most evenings after he gets home from work, if we have nursing coverage and he doesn’t have to help with the twins’ care, he cooks dinner allowing me time to work on things such as staffing schedules, insurance justification, grant applications and equipment issues. Having a good, strong partnership is the biggest blessing!” Five years later, each child is developing at an individual rate; however, both are nonverbal. “Life with Elijah and Zariah tends to revolve around one of the more severe forms of cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus, ventriculoperitoneal shunts, epilepsy, feeding tubes, big hearts and smiles,” Stephanie said. “Elijah has faced many challenges and will continue to face many changes. He crawls all over the house and pulled to stand about a year ago. He walks with us if we hold his hands. We were told the twins probably would never walk or talk so it is with joy that I say, Elijah is all boy.” Zariah’s mobility is severely limited. Cerebral palsy is a motor disorder that limits an individual’s ability to move independently. “We were using our standing frame with Zariah for an hour and a half each day until her recent bilateral hip surgery.”
