A Georgia couple is sharing the heartbreaking story of how they lost their conjoined twins so the world will know that though the girls lived for just one hour after birth, their little lives had immeasurable value.
Matthew and Breana Dell welcomed daughters Amelia Jane and Elhora Auri on February 29. The couple had known for months that the girls were conjoined and that doctors said there was little chance of survival, but they also knew that their daughters deserved every opportunity to live.
“They didn’t ever cry or open their eyes, but they had a heartbeat,” Breana told PEOPLE about the delivery. “They were beautiful. I told them they were beautiful.”
The young parents learned in November during a routine ultrasound that the girls were conjoined. They went through a series of many medical appointments, only for specialists to determine that the girls would likely not survive long after birth because they shared one heart.
“It was lots and lots of appointments, in hopes that they would be wrong and that something could be done — but it didn’t work out that way,” Breanna told Fox News Digital.
She explained that they were offered an abortion, but said it was “never even a thought.”
“Our thought process was always, ‘What can we do to save them and keep them,’” she said. “Our faith was the biggest factor in the decision we made,” she added. “I don’t know how anybody could get through a situation like that without having faith.”
Matthew told PEOPLE that the couple hoped the girls would somehow make it, but they were ready to just enjoy whatever time they were given. “Maybe we’ll get to spend a lot of time with some miracle baby girls, or maybe we will get just a little bit of time with them,” he said. “That is still going to be very precious, and we’re still very thankful.”
Though the twins didn’t survive long after birth, the girls’ extended family was able to be on hand so that everyone could meet them before saying goodbye. “It was peaceful,” Breana said. “They’re at peace. I’m at peace.”
The girls have also had an impact on the wider community, which is still felt today. The couple has built up a social media following in sharing their story, which they say has been especially meaningful to other parents going through something similar.
READ: ‘Now in the arms of our Lord’: Conjoined twins die shortly after birth
“Because of them, I think that there was a domino effect of other things that happened that are good,” Breana said.
“It’s encouraging to see someone else go through something similar,” added Matthew. “Knowing that hard things happen to other people, we don’t have to feel alone.”
“Their lives were so meaningful,” Breana said. “In the small amount of time that we had with them, they really changed our lives.”
