Born Too Soon, Strong Enough Anyway - The Collins Twins
ALEXANDRIA, LOUISIANA — The most frightening moments in life don’t always come with alarms. Oftentimes, they arrive softly, disguised as routine “precautions.” This was one of those moments.
On July 15, 2022, Katie Collins went to CHRISTUS Cabrini Hospital expecting nothing more than a normal visit with her husband, Ryan. Instead, that ordinary day became the beginning of an extraordinary journey — one marked by uncertainty, endurance, and prayer.
Because of Ryan and Katie — and because of friends like Burt Poche, Daniel and Shelby Vonsbury, Chad and Angela Diven, Cari Lyn and Andrew Onellion — and countless parents I’ve crossed paths with along the way — Their experiences rewire you. They remind us that tomorrow is not promised… but presence is always a choice, today — because of them, we love our children harder. We hold them a little longer. We listen a little closer. We savor the ordinary moments that once slipped by unnoticed.
When one twin’s membrane ruptured in utero, everything changed. The focus shifted from pregnancy to survival. Parker and Presley Collins were delivered in an emergency at just 24 weeks and 6 days — 15-weeks early — and from their very first breath, they were fighting for their lives. Parker weighed in at 1 lb. 5 oz., while Presley was slightly heavier at 1 lb. 7 oz. They were classified by doctors as “micro preemies,” but to a parent, they were their two tiny baby girls engaged in the most significant battle of their lives.
Their first diapers were no larger than a pack of gum. Their eyes were completely sealed shut. Katie stated that she remembers standing there, feeling both helpless and awestruck — terrified by their fragility yet amazed by their inherent strength.
As time passed, their eyes began to open. For four long months, they resided in high-tech, CMN-funded Omni Isolettes at CHRISTUS Cabrini’s Neonatal ICU — essentially a surrogate womb that provided them with the opportunity to grow and develop. The NICU team became an extension of their family. Thanks to the state-of-the-art equipment and lifesaving care made possible through Children’s Miracle Network, their daughters were granted the precious time needed to fight, heal, and gain strength.
When Katie and Ryan finally carried their daughters through the front door, the journey wasn’t over — it had simply turned a page. Survival had become growth. Fear had become faith in small, daily victories.
Parker and Presley continued their fight outside the hospital walls at the CMN-funded Cabrini Pediatric Therapy Center, where pediatric occupational therapists patiently taught them how to move, crawl, stand, and eventually walk. Nearly every piece of equipment that supported those first milestones existed because of CMN donor dollars — the quiet generosity of people they may never meet, but whose kindness will forever be part of their story.
Today, Parker and Presley are thriving 3½-year-old twins with bright eyes, bold personalities, and even brighter futures. Presley is the gentle soul — a little shy, full of sweetness, happiest when she’s dancing or enjoying pancakes. Parker is the explorer — fearless, always smiling, swinging outside, and willing to try just about anything she can get her hands on.
From micro preemie twins to miracle girls — their journey will always serve as a reminder that hope can be small… and yet remain unstoppable. All proceeds from FISHIN’ FOR KIDS provide life-saving equipment and pediatric therapy for kids in our communities, like the Collins Twins.
