When Mrs Jones learned that she was expecting twins at ten weeks of her pregnancy she was more than happy.
But at her 20-week scan, doctors found out that one of the boys was half the size of his brother and he needed to die for his brother to live.Doctors tried to kill him not once but twice,and he survived.
They didn’t know what was causing it, but somehow he wasn’t getting enough nutrients and his heart was three times normal size putting him at risk of a heart attack or a stroke in the womb.
Doctors told her his death could cause his twin brother to die too before they were born, and that it would be better to end Gabriel’s suffering sooner rather than later.
First they tried to sever his umbilical cord to cut off his blood supply, but the cord was too strong.
They then cut Mrs Jones’s placenta in half so that when Gabriel died, it would not affect his twin brother
But the next morning Mrs Jones felt Gabriel kicking. A scan showed his heart was still beating.
When Mrs Jones reached 31 weeks doctors carried out a caesarian to deliver the twins. Ieuan weighed 3lb 8oz and Gabriel 1lb 15oz. Both were kept in hospital, but since going home they have thrived. At seven months, Ieuan weighs 15lb and Gabriel 12lb 6oz.