The photo of a 5-year-old boy from Alabama has gone viral for its touching story. Walker Myrick was pictured in the grave of his twin brother, Willis, as he told him about his experiences during the first day of kinder.
Huffington Post reports that the photo was taken five years ago but the twin's mom, Brook Myrick, shared this on social media. It turns out that Walker has been visiting his twin's grave regularly over the years even as he has never actually met him in the flesh. The family is hoping that the twins' story will help raise awareness on twin to twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), a rare condition in a twin pregnancy.
"It gives me a sense that he has a connection with his brother, it's bitter-sweet," the mother said. Walker, now 9-years-old, has always known he was a twin and knew the condition surrounding his birth.
When Brook was pregnant with Walker and Willis, she was not screened for TTTS. "Our doctor [didn't] refer us to a specialist or even know that my boys were identical and sharing a placenta," the mom said, according to Mirror.
Willis died on the 23rd week of pregnancy but Walker has remained bonded to him even after birth. "He speaks of his brother all the time and, when he was a toddler, he would run to the grave and lean down and hug it," Brook said.
TTTS occurs when identical twins share a monochorionic placenta. As such, one twin might receive fewer nutrients needed for growth and development and won't likely survive the pregnancy term. The TTTS Foundation cites that this is not a preventable condition, but it is also not genetic nor hereditary.
It's a condition that matters to the timing of the "twinning event" that happens in the womb. According to the American Pregnancy Association, about 15 percent of identical twin pregnancies are at risk for TTTS.
A pregnant mom should get screened for the condition if ultrasounds show that the twins have different umbilical cord or amniotic sacs sizes, or if they share a placenta, or if too much or too little fluid is detected in the amniotic sacs. An amniocentesis might be necessary to diagnose further. The APA said at least 60 percent of pregnancies can be saved with this early intervention method.
