Zahari and his twin brother, Zakari, were born at just thirty-five weeks and spent the first ten months of their lives apart as a result of Zahari’s hospitalization. Doctors discovered that Zahari was born with tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF), a condition where the esophagus and trachea are connected. This can make it difficult for the child to swallow and can cause liquid to travel into the lungs.

To address this, Zahari underwent two surgeries during the first month of his life to separate his esophagus and trachea. He was then in the NICU for over nine months. Because of this, Zahari and Zakari had never met each other.

In order for Zahari to finally meet his twin brother, he and his family needed the tools and resources to aid the transition home.

“Our goal was for [Zahari] to come straight home after leaving the NICU, but it was highly suggested through our social worker and NICU nurses that we get transitional care,” shared Rosalyn, Zahari’s mom.

That is when Zahari arrived at La Rabida. The transitional care provided at La Rabida helps children reach various developmental milestones, provides the education and resources families need to care for their child both in and out of the hospital and work through any challenges that arise, all to make the transition from the NICU to the home as seamless as possible. Because Zahari utilizes a g-tube, it was important that Rosalyn felt comfortable using the technology on her own.

During this transitional phase, Rosalyn and Zahari were also working on bonding. “

This time period was all about getting to know him and him getting to know me. I knew that he knew that I was his mom, but he didn’t know me. There was a wall between us. And I was always afraid that he wasn’t going to accept me,” said Roslyn. “I don’t think a lot of people realize how much help the parent needs.” By doing things like creating positive mealtime experiences and encouraging Rosalyn to teach Zahari new tasks, the mother and son pair were able to strengthen their bond.

“I didn’t feel like I was there just to learn about my child and how to care for him, I felt like I learned other things that taught me to be a better person and a better mother. I didn’t know I needed that,” explained Rosalyn. “La Rabida was so welcoming and open. No matter what, they made sure I knew everything that was going on. They helped to make sure every duck was in a row before we left. And they made sure Zahari had everything that he needed.”

The twins are now 11 months old and are starting to get to know each other. “This is the very first time they’ve been together since leaving the womb. I don’t even think they touched when they were born,” said Rosalyn. When Zahari went home last month, the brothers instantly connected. “Zakari is walking now and Zahari has started to imitate him,” explained Rosalyn.

“That twin dynamic, that brother love is there. It’s so fun to watch.”

This story was featured in the July 2020 issue of eCurrents, La Rabida's monthly newsletter. To view the July issue of eCurrents, click here.