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From NICU to graduation day: twins born at 25 weeks defy odds, get their diploma
On the day her twins were born, Terri Fonner wasn’t sure this day would ever come.
“It’s been a whirlwind of emotions. It seems like just yesterday when I had them,” said Fonner.
But 18 years later, her son and daughter, Mason and Madison, defied the odds, and on Thursday they will graduate from Washington High School.
It’s a special moment for every high school student, but for Mason and Madison, the road they faced to make it to graduation day makes it that much more meaningful for their parents, John and Terri Fonner.
The twins were born 14 weeks early, on February 8, 2006, with Mason weighing 1 pound, 15 ounces, and Madison weighing 1 pound, 2 ounces. They were considered “micro preemies.”
Fonner went into labor at less than 26 weeks, and delivered the twins at Magee Womens Hospital in Pittsburgh.
“I was so scared. All I could think of was ‘let my babies live,'” Fonner said during an Observer-Reporter interview months after they were born.
At that moment, Fonner didn’t know what the future held for Mason and Madison.
Both of the babies were born with holes in their hearts and spent the first few months in a neonatal intensive care unit at Magee, where they were on ventilators and received oxygen, and took nourishment and medication intravenously. They also received doses of surfactant to help their breathing.
The twins finally came home more than three months later, but their challenges continued.
They both remained on machines to monitor their heart and oxygen levels for another month, during which time Madison stopped breathing once.
“Those early months were scary. When they came home on the monitors and oxygen, I was always afraid those were going to go off. Once they started growing, that was a great thing. They went through speech and occupational therapy, and really improved their motor skills,” said Fonner.
Madison, who was born with retinopathy of prematurity, still has vision problems, and has undergone six eye surgeries since. She has severe nearsightedness and low vision, which has left her unable to drive and prone to tripping.
She also is deaf in her right ear (called unilateral hearing loss), which was diagnosed when she was in first grade.
Mason hasn’t had complications from the premature birth since he was discharged from the hospital.
The two are close, with Mason being a protective brother, Fonner said. And they’ve celebrated each other’s successes.
Both will graduate with honors when they cross the podium. Both served on the Prom and Homecoming courts, and Madison was named Prom Queen. She was a varsity cheerleader and enjoyed chorus and theater.
At various times, Mason was a member of the baseball, basketball and cross country teams at Wash High. He works part time at Walmart. Both are active at Trinity Bible Fellowship Church.
Both will attend Washington & Jefferson College, where Mason plans to study pre-med and Madison will major in psychology, with plans to become a counselor.
They might be twins, but their personalities are different, Fonner said. Mason is outgoing and “not shy,” while Madison is more introverted.
“We feel extremely blessed, and we’re so proud of them, with their grades and how well they have done,” said Fonner. “You want the best for your kids and you want to protect them and make sure they’re OK at all times. We’re just happy seeing how they’re grown into these two remarkable kids.”