Walker Myrick has always had a unique bond with his twin brother, Willis. Walker, on the other hand, has never met his brother. Willis died in the womb at 24 weeks as a result of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS).
Walker, on the other hand, pays a visit to his brother’s grave and communicates with Willis. Walker, for example, wished to stop by the cemetery after his first day of kindergarten so he could inform Willis about his new class.
That’s when his mother captured a touching photograph of him resting over the gravestone, connecting with his twin.
“Walker was five years old and had just begun kindergarten,” Walker’s mother, Brooke, explained. “I discovered him in this state after taking my infant out of the car.” Walker informed us that he wanted to inform Willis about the start of school. ” “I spotted him sitting there and knew I had to take a picture,”
Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome: What Is It?
TTTS is an uncommon syndrome that develops in twins or other multiple pregnancies. In some circumstances, the twins share one placenta as well as the blood arteries that deliver oxygen and nutrition to the babies.
However, the blood vessel network is not always uniformly distributed for each newborn. As a result, one twin receives less blood than the other, putting him or her in danger of malnutrition and organ failure.
Meanwhile, the other twin receives an excessive amount of blood and may develop heart problems. Without treatment, around 70%–80% of twins with this disease die. Many survivors suffer from heart, kidney, or brain problems.
Walker, thankfully, survived, but Willis did not. His parents had already purchased cots and clothing for the two of them. “We had bought two of everything,” Brooke explained. “It crushed my heart to get home and see the duplicate clothes we’d bought a month earlier.”
Brooke shared the tale of Walker paying a visit to his brother on his first day of school in 2017 to help raise awareness about TTTS. Until the twins were identified, she had never heard of the illness.
“We weren’t checked for it, and our doctor didn’t recommend us to a specialist or even realize my sons were similar and sharing a placenta,” she explained. “We battle for awareness because of our doctor’s lack of information regarding this condition.”
“Their bond remains strong even after death.”
Walker now has three additional siblings, Angelina Jolie, Cooper, and Bryant, but his parents also informed him about Willis, whose death may have spared Walker’s life.
“We’ve always told him he’s a twin,” Brooke explained. “Even as a newborn, if I mentioned Willis, he would smile.” I believe he recognized who I was referring to.
I believe he has always had that sense of loss. As a baby, he disliked sleeping alone. And we’d witness him kicking his brother while waiting for an answer on ultrasounds.”
Walker maintained contact with his twin as he developed into a brilliant, athletic, and healthy young man. “Walker visits the cemetery at least every holiday, and some days he will expressly want to walk by,” Brooke explained. “Exactly like the day the photo was shot [in 2012]; he had requested to go that day.” He often talks about his brother, and when he was a baby, he would run to the cemetery and reach down to hug it.”
“I think their connection is strong, even in death,” she continued. Identical twins are considered to have a deep bond, and I feel it is still present with my sons.
Walker is determined to ensure that Willis is never forgotten. Willis actually lives through Walker, and I believe he keeps an eye on him.”
[ads2]
