Luci and Joseph dreamed of starting a family, but nothing could prepare them for the nightmare pregnancy they would experience.
Luci learned she was pregnant at six weeks along, and her 12-week scan revealed she was having twin boys.
Charlie and Harvey Barker were diagnosed with twin-to-twin transfusion in the womb, which causes uneven blood flow. Charlie was getting more nutrition than his brother.
Things took a horrifying turn when Luci's water broke at just 20 weeks. However, she didn't give birth until four weeks later.
In May 2017, Charlie and Harvey were born, both weighing just over 1 lb. each. Before Luci and Joseph could even hold them, they were rushed to intensive care. "I couldn't even get upset about not getting to hold them because I was in shock," she told Caters News. "I couldn't quite get my head around what was happening."
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Then came even more devastating news. The twins' health was so shaky that doctors warned the new parents not to plan any sort of future for the boys. Instead, they told them to take it hour by hour.
Over the course of the next four months, Charlie and Harvey underwent a slew of tests and procedures. They each had seven blood transfusions and suffered from bronchiolitis.
They were finally able to go home in September, but Harvey's health took another turn for the worse. He stopped breathing, and the lack of oxygen made him visually impaired.
Harvey spent the majority of his first year of life in the hospital, and it was gut-wrenching to have to separate him from Charlie for that long.
But at 15 months, the Brothers Barker defied the doctors' expectations. They were able to go home and live healthy lives.
