Victoria and Darren Burgess were devastated when an ultrasound confirmed their 16-week old twins had Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) – the same condition singer Jesy Nelson is battling
A mum who was given the option to terminate her pregnancy after being diagnosed with a life-threatening condition – one that Little Mix’s Jesy Nelson is also battling – is celebrating one year with her healthy twin boys.
Singer Jesy is currently recovering in hospital after undergoing an operation that is hoped to prevent complications of her high-risk pregnancy. Two people who know her struggles all too well are Victoria, 35, and her partner Darren, 33, who were overjoyed when they first found out they were expecting.
However, their joy quickly turned to worry when a 16-week scan revealed something alarming – one twin had no visible kidneys or bladder, and the other had excessive fluid in their sac.
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After being diagnosed with Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) – a rare but life-threatening condition that affects around 10 to 15 percent of identical twins who share a placenta – Victoria and Darren wished they had been given more information about the condition by doctors at the time.
Victoria turned to the Twins Trust website for support and information, finding solace in reading the experiences of other families who had faced TTTS. “At that point, I hadn’t heard of TTTS,” she admitted. “That’s when the Twins Trust website was really helpful – I felt very lonely and confused, and reading about other people’s experiences helped.”
The couple, from Bristol, were given three options: undergo specialist laser surgery, do nothing and risk complications, or terminate the pregnancy. “Having a termination was never in our heads,” Darren said.
A week after the diagnosis, Victoria underwent laser surgery to save her babies. “We knew it could rapidly escalate, and they were worried about one of the twins,” she said. “The other twin’s sac was getting bigger and bigger.”
The procedure was a success, but Victoria endured weeks of complications, including fluid loss and multiple hospital visits. At 33 weeks, further bleeding signalled that the twins were on their way.
Born via C-section in September 2023, Ezra and Arlo entered the world at 34 weeks and one day, in a theatre packed with 26 medical staff. In a dramatic twist, a student trainee fainted during the birth.
Despite spending weeks in NICU and intensive care, the twins fought through their early challenges, including surgery for hernias, and are now thriving. Victoria, who praised the staff at Musgrove Hospital in Taunton, said she’s determined not to let the challenges of having twins hold her back.
“I enjoy taking the boys to clubs and don’t let the fact I have twins stop me from doing anything,” she said. “Looking back on the TTTS, I think it’s important to have honest conversations. I had never heard of the syndrome before, so I tried to educate myself. I was never pushed into any decisions — the hospital staff were very open-minded and gave us time.”
Darren advised other parents facing similar diagnoses to always ask questions and hold on to hope. “We just kept on hoping,” he said. “We hung onto that hope and had positive outcomes.”
The couple, who also completed the Twins Trust antenatal course to help prepare for their journey, are now focused on raising awareness of TTTS to help other families.
“We just want to say thank you to Twins Trust for being there for us when we really needed the support,” Victoria said. “It was quite a lonely and worrying time.”
Jesy Nelson’s partner Zion Foster, meanwhile, is running the London Marathon next month to raise money for Twins Trust. The singer, 33, from Romford, said her “pre-stage” twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), which affects identical twins who share a placenta, has “cleared up”.
“Hey guys, so we just wanted to give you guys an update, because we know it’s been a while,” Jesy said in an Instagram video. “I don’t know if you can see, we are still in hospital, so I’ve been recovering, but we have some amazing news.
“The TTTS has cleared up, the operation was a success, which is just absolutely incredible. We are so, so lucky to have the most amazing doctors. Basically, the situation we’re in now is my cervix is very, very short, so I can’t leave the hospital because my waters could break at any point and I’m still very, very early.
“I can’t leave the hospital until I’m a certain amount of weeks, so every week we’re just like, ‘Please, please, please, stay in there’.”
She added that she and partner Zion are “so grateful” her twins “are still going strong”.
For support and more information, visit www.twinstrust.org
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