Heartbreaking Photo Captures Newborn Embracing His Sick Twin In NICU

Photo of twins hugging after meeting for the first time outside of the womb goes viral

It’s a photo that would tug on anyone’s heartstrings. Newborn twins Mason and Hawk Buchmeyer cuddled up together at 11 days old, their first time meeting outside the womb that was their home for months. But the story behind the photo has unfortunately had a heartbreaking ending.

Hawk was born with CDH, or Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia. According to the National Institutes of Health, CDH is a rare condition that occurs in less than 1,600 cases a year, or in less than than .001% of newborns. CDH happens when there’s a hole in the diaphragm which allows abdominal organs to move into the chest. This prevents the lungs from developing normally and resulting in the lungs being under developed.

The night this picture was taken, their mother, Brandy Guettler, said it was actually Mason who was fussy and needed to be comforted. One of the nurses suggested they lay Mason next to Hawk. “So we laid him there and all of the sudden as soon as he felt Hawk, he reached his arm out and grabbed him and just started to smile. The two of them knew they were there for each other.”

Unfortunately, the family shared the heartbreaking news earlier today that Hawk has passed away.

As a mother of twins who spent time in the NICU I know how special the bond between wombmates is and how rare it is to get a photo like this with both babies together. While our thoughts are with Mason and Hawk’s parents, hopefully having this beautiful picture of their sons together will give them some comfort in the days to come.