A little over ten 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.
Savannah Ackerman, a native of Jacksonville, successfully through a high-risk pregnancy and gave birth twins 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.
Savannah said: “They were mono-di twins which is already really rare, as they were also both born with Down syndrome, the unlikeliness of the birth multiplied nearly a thousandfold.”
Savannah and her husband originally faced their own mental obstacles when learning that their daughters had Down syndrome. They foresaw the difficulties that they and their girls would face as they grew older.
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.
She started posting videos of her twins on their very own TikTok channel, “Down With The Akerman Twins,” since she was so enamored with their smiles and gorgeous, chubby cheeks. The two pink babies of joy frequently appear side by side while wearing identical head bows.
And yes, they did go viral.In fact, it became so popular that their most popular video received 1.6 million views. And the adorable duo has so far amassed a following of 48,400 TikTok users.
The mom also shares some of what a parent in her situation goes through.
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.
She said: “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.”
The family of four is thriving today. The twins are “hitting milestones like no other,” Savannah said. They attend physical and occupational therapy twice each week and are just about to start crawling, their mom said.
But as for the impression some people have that kids with Down syndrome are always happy? Don’t count on it, Combs said. While Kennadi is indeed a “ray of sunshine,” Mckenli is the opposite.
“She’s a total diva,” her mom said.
