Born to shine
The Australian Women's Weekly|XMAS 2022
 Twins Olivia and Zoe have already overcome unimaginable challenges. This year, they'll celebrate their fourth Christmas thanks to a new development in the care of premature babies, and to the special bond they share.
GENEVIEVE GANNON 
Born to shine

For 28 weeks and five days Olivia and Zoe were as close as two souls can be. The girls are momo twins-monochorionic-monoamniotic twins meaning that from the moment they blinked into existence they shared one home (a single amniotic sac) and one life source (a single placenta). But while they were growing, the cord that kept them tethered to this world became knotted and they were born via emergency caesarean.

The sisters were separated at birth into two humidicribs at the Melbourne Royal Women's Hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. There, medical staff cared for them while their parents, Ann and Jason, watched fretfully. A momo pregnancy is always high risk, and the early birth added another layer of danger. It was during this time that Jason and Ann first witnessed the powerful bond that would sustain the girls through their early battles and beyond. When they were finally reunited, still tiny and fragile, Zoe reached out for her sister, Olivia, and wrapped her in a hug.

"It was incredible. It's called the rescue hug. Apparently, it happens with a lot of pre-term twins," Ann says. "There are so many things about twins we don't know. They have this intuition, like a mother's intuition, where they just know what the other needs."

It was when Olivia and Zoe were side-by-side that they were strongest. By the time their original due date arrived, they had cheated death more than once, surviving a perilous pregnancy, breathing difficulties and identical holes in their hearts.

As they've grown, so has their connection. Big sister Olivia, who is two whole minutes older, takes the lead, while Zoe is an enthusiastic follower of her sister's escapades.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة XMAS 2022 من The Australian Women's Weekly.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة XMAS 2022 من The Australian Women's Weekly.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من THE AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLY مشاهدة الكل
Maggie's kitchen
The Australian Women's Weekly

Maggie's kitchen

Maggie Beer's delicious veg patties - perfect for lunch, dinner or a snack - plus a simple nostalgic pudding with fresh passionfruit.

time-read
1 min  |
January 2025
Reclaim your brain
The Australian Women's Weekly

Reclaim your brain

Attention span short? Thoughts foggy? Memory full of gaps? Brigid Moss investigates the latest ways to sharpen your thinking.

time-read
5 mins  |
January 2025
The girls from Oz
The Australian Women's Weekly

The girls from Oz

Melbourne music teacher Judith Curphey challenged the patriarchy when she started Australia's first all-girls choir. Forty years later that bold vision has 6500 members, life-changing programs and a new branch of the sisterhood in Singapore.

time-read
9 mins  |
January 2025
One kid can change the world
The Australian Women's Weekly

One kid can change the world

In 2018, 10-year-old Jack Berne started A Fiver for a Farmer to raise funds for drought relief. He and mum Prue share what happened next.

time-read
5 mins  |
January 2025
AFTER THE WAVE
The Australian Women's Weekly

AFTER THE WAVE

Twenty years ago, the Boxing Day tsunami tore across the Indian Ocean, shredding towns, villages and holiday resorts, and killing hundreds of thousands of people from Indonesia to Africa. Three Australians share their memories of terror, loss and survival with The Weekly.

time-read
8 mins  |
January 2025
PATRICIA KARVELAS How childhood tragedy shaped me
The Australian Women's Weekly

PATRICIA KARVELAS How childhood tragedy shaped me

Patricia Karvelas hustled hard to chase her dreams, but it wasn't easy. In a deeply personal interview, the ABC host talks about family loss, finding love, battles fought and motherhood.

time-read
10 mins  |
January 2025
Ripe for the picking
The Australian Women's Weekly

Ripe for the picking

Buy a kilo or two of fresh Australian apricots because they're at their peak sweetness now and take inspiration from our lush recipe ideas that showcase this divine stone fruit.

time-read
5 mins  |
January 2025
Your stars for 2025
The Australian Women's Weekly

Your stars for 2025

The Weekly’s astrologer, Lilith Rocha, reveals what’s in store for your astrological sign in 2025. For your monthly horoscope, turn to page 192.

time-read
10 mins  |
January 2025
MEL SCHILLING Cancer made me look at myself differently'
The Australian Women's Weekly

MEL SCHILLING Cancer made me look at myself differently'

One year on from going public with her bowel cancer diagnosis, Mel Schilling reveals where she's at with her health journey and how it's changed her irrevocably.

time-read
9 mins  |
January 2025
Nothing like this Dame Judi
The Australian Women's Weekly

Nothing like this Dame Judi

A few weeks before her 90th birthday, the acting legend jumped on a phone call with The Weekly to talk about her extraordinary life – and what’s still to come.

time-read
10 mins  |
January 2025