In the fall of 1995, a nurse in Worcester, Massachusetts, did something no one at her hospital had done before. She put two premature twin girls into the same incubator, and a newspaper photo of what happened next was later shared around the world. The picture became known as “The Rescuing Hug.”
The twins, Kyrie and Brielle Jackson, were born on October 17, 1995, about 12 weeks before their due date, and each baby weighed about two pounds. As was normal at the time, the hospital placed them in separate incubators to lower the risk of passing germs from one baby to the other.
Kyrie soon began to gain weight, but her smaller sister did not do as well. She cried a lot, which left her gasping for air and blue in the face, according to Snopes, which looked into the story.
What did the nurse do?
Both girls were cared for in the NICU, short for neonatal intensive care unit, which is a hospital ward for newborns who need extra medical care.
One day, when Brielle was having a very hard time, NICU nurse Gayle Kasparian tried everything she could think of to calm her. She held her, had the baby’s father hold her, wrapped her in a blanket and cleared her nose, but nothing worked.
Then Kasparian remembered hearing that some hospitals in Europe placed twins in the same bed, a practice called co-bedding, which was almost unheard of in the United States at the time. With the parents’ permission, she put Brielle in the incubator with her sister.
Brielle snuggled up to Kyrie almost right away, and her blood oxygen levels, which had been very low, started to rise. She began to breathe more easily, her crying stopped and her normal pink color came back. In the famous photo, Kyrie’s tiny arm is draped over her sister.
Read More: WATCH: Viral Pediatrician Shows You How to Hold and Calm a Crying Baby
Photographer Chris Christo of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette took a picture of the two girls together. The image later ran in Life magazine and Reader’s Digest. The hospital told Snopes that “the first co-bedding of twins occurred as an innovation from a staff nurse, Gayle Kasparian, RN.”
Did the hug really save her life?
It’s hard to say for sure. Snopes rated the story true “at least in its broad strokes,” but it also noted that no one can say whether Brielle got better mainly because of her sister’s touch. What we do know is that she improved a lot after Kyrie joined her, and her health kept getting better over the next few weeks.
Both girls survived and went home with their parents, Heidi and Paul Jackson. The photo drew so much attention from the media that the family had to change their phone number.
Why was Brielle struggling?
Babies born this early often have trouble breathing because their lungs are not yet ready to work on their own. One of the most common problems in premature babies is called respiratory distress syndrome. According to the Merck Manual, babies with this condition have low oxygen levels in their blood, which can make their skin look blue.
Tiny babies also lose heat quickly, since they don’t have enough body fat to stay warm on their own. That is one reason close body contact with another person can help them. A 2022 review of trials found that skin-to-skin care eased signs of physical stress in premature babies in the NICU.
What does science say about skin-to-skin care?
The idea behind the Rescuing Hug is now a big part of newborn care around the world. The best-known version is called kangaroo mother care, where a parent holds the baby against their bare chest for long stretches of time. The baby usually wears only a diaper and is covered with a blanket to stay warm.
Premature birth is more common than many people realize. The World Health Organization estimates that about 13.4 million babies were born too early in 2020, which is more than 1 in 10 births around the world.
Kangaroo care started in Colombia in the late 1970s, at a time when hospitals there did not have enough incubators to keep babies warm, as Science Daily reported.
Today, the World Health Organization says kangaroo care should start as soon as possible after birth for babies born early or small. It pairs long periods of skin-to-skin contact with breast milk feeding.
Research also points to benefits for the brain. A Stanford Medicine study linked kangaroo care to better brain development in premature babies.
Parents may benefit too. A 2026 study found that kangaroo care was linked to lower stress in parents of babies in the NICU. Many of these parents say they feel helpless, and holding their baby gives them something active they can do to help.
Is it safe for twins to share a bed in the NICU?
For twins who are stable, the research looks reassuring. A 2014 study found that co-bedding preterm twins helped them settle themselves, sleep more quietly, and cry less.
In the hospital, co-bedding is done under the close watch of NICU staff, and each hospital has its own rules about when twins are stable enough to share a bed. It is not the same as sharing a bed with a baby at home.
What happened to Kyrie and Brielle?
The twins were born in 1995, so they are now in their early 30s. The photo of their hug is still shared online, where it is often called the hug that helped change newborn care.
What this means for you
If your baby is in the NICU, ask the care team about skin-to-skin contact, since many hospitals now encourage parents to start it as early as they can. If you have twins, you can also ask whether co-bedding is an option once both babies are stable.
Every baby is different, and the NICU team will know what is safe for your child. Talk with your baby’s doctor or nurse before making any changes to their care.
Editor’s note: Snopes rates this story true in its broad strokes. Doctors can’t say for sure that the hug alone saved Brielle’s life, but her quick turn for the better helped bring more attention to placing twins together in newborn care.
Disclaimer: This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and is for information only. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions about your medical condition and/or current medication. Do not disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking advice or treatment because of something you have read here.
AI Disclaimer: This article was created with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed by a human editor.