THESE are the three little miracles who cheated death a staggering NINE times.
Triplets Isabel, Emily and Ben were born so premature that they weighed only 2Ib each and doctors didn’t
think they would survive.
As they battled for life in intensive care, each triplet was brought back to life by doctors an amazing three
times each, after they stopped breathing and were just seconds from death.
Their survival has amazed the doctors and their parents Andy and Anna Collier, who never imagined that
they would all pull through.
Mrs Collier said: ‘When they were born they were just so tiny - they looked so helpless lying there. They
could have each fitted into the palm of our hands.
‘When they stopped breathing and had to be rescuciated each time, we thought we had lost them.
‘One of the triplets turned blue in my arms and stopped breathing. I just held his limp little body in my
arms and screamed for the doctors.
‘He was only seconds from death when they managed to revive him.’
The couple’s nightmare began when Mrs Collier was just 28 weeks pregnant with the triplets. She went
into early labour at 28 weeks and had to be rushed to the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
Mrs Collier said: ‘There wasn’t enough intensive care beds for the triplets so we faced having to have all
three of them in different hospital which would have been a nightmare.
‘The doctors gave me steroid injections into my womb to develop their lungs, and luckily they managed to
hang on for an extra few days.’
The triplets were delivered at 29 weeks, Isabel weighing 2Ib9, Ben at 2Ib7, and Emily the smallest at
2Ib1.
They were rushed off to intensive care and were placed on ventilators as they couldn’t breath on their
own.
Mrs Collier said: ‘I saw them the following day and I was wheeled down into the intensive care unit to see
them. I was just so shocked at how tiny they were. They just looked like tiny little skinned rabbits. I
thought how could anything so small possibly survive. It was terrifying.’
The triplets could numerous infections which ravaged their tiny bodies. But still they managed to hang on.
But when they were eight weeks old, Isabel stopped breathing and doctors frantically tried to revive her.
Mrs Collier said: ‘It was terrifiying. She went blue and limp and lifeless. The doctors sprang into action and
managed to rescucitate her. She was so lucky, as she was just seconds from death. Had they not acted
so quickly, we would have lost her.’
Then just three weeks later Mrs Collier was holding Ben in the hospital unit when the same thing
happened to him.
She said: ‘I was just cuddling him to me and one minute he looked fine. Then the next minute he just went
completely still. I looked down and he was turning blue before my eyes, and his body was totally limp.
‘I just screamed for help and the doctors came rushing over. They whisked him away and luckily they
were able to rescuciate him.
But then just two hours later, exactly the same thing happened to Emily. She was the weakest smallest
triplet, but unbelievably they managed to save her too.
‘I was just standing out in the corridor crying. As the doctors pumped the life back into Emily too I just
worried about how much more the babies could take. That afternoon, when we nearly lost them both, I
called Black Tuesday. It was the lowest point that we went through.’
Unbelievably the babies each had to be brought back to life by doctors a further twice each.
Mrs Collier said: ‘Each time we thought we had lost them, and each time they managed to hold on
somehow. The doctors couldn’t believe what little fighters they were. If it had just been one baby who
nearly died three times then that would have been bad enough to cope with.
‘But to nearly lose all three of them three times each, was just an emotional rollercoaster.’
After 101 days in hospital, the triplets were finally allowed home after battling numerous infections,
including lifethreatjning inluenza.
But when they were discharged they had to be fitted with special alarms in their nappies which would
sound if they stopped breathing again.
Mrs Collier said: ‘It was such an amazing day when we finally brought them home - iit was a day we never
thought we would see.
‘But we had alarms fitted onto their nappies, which sounded like a car alarm and were designed to go off
if any of the babies stopped breathing.
‘Luckily they only went off once when the alarm became detached from one of the nappies.’
After the arrived home, the triplets went from strength to strength are are now up to the average weight
for their age.
Mrs Collier said: ‘The girls are identical twins, and are very close. They are like two peas in a pod, but
their personalities are very different.
‘Isabel is the motherly one whilst Emily is the tomboy. Ben is the placid one of the three - he has to be
with two sisters.
‘They are all very happy and smiling and there is a real bond between the three of them. They have
enormous appetites, and love their favourite spaghetti bolognaise and fish pie.
‘We just feel so lucky that we have them home with us after all they have been through. One day we will
tell them about their miracle survival, and how they cheated death three times each.’
The couple are raising £250,000 for lifesaving neonatal equipment at the Chelsea and Westminster
Hospital. To donate, contact their website at www.3littlemiracles.com (PLEASE LEAVE IN)