HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – The parents of fraternal twins -- Zion Anthony and Ziarah Marie -- said they have experienced a holiday miracle.
They have nicknamed their babies "The Miracle Twins."
They babies were born Dec. 17. Their mom, Yasmine Bowie, was 24 weeks pregnant when she noticed she was bleeding. She said she was with the babies dad, Wade Bassford, at a gas station near Interstate 95, when she felt terror.
"I was really scared," she said. "I thought I was going to die."
Bowie, who already has an 11-month-old boy, felt like she was going into labor. She wasn't due until April 6. Bassford rushed her to the hospital.
"Before we got here the baby was already out," Bowie said.
Doctors told the parents they feared the twins were not going to survive.
The babies continue to improve at Memorial Regional Hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care unit in Hollywood. And on Christmas Day, baby girl Ziarah started to breath on her own, the couple said.
The couple is from Des Moines, Iowa, and was visiting Miami Beach. Bassford, who serves on the Music Commission for the City of Des Moines and attended Des Moines Area Community College, was looking for work in Miami Beach.
They were not planning to spend Christmas in South Florida. Now they expect to stay for New Year's Eve and until April.
A day after the babies were born, Bowie was healthy enough to set up a Facebook page. She has been sharing updates on her 'miracle twins' and had a request for followers.
"Please pray for us and our family."
SOCIAL MEDIA | 'Zion & Ziarah The Miracle Twins' Facebook page
SOCIAL MEDIA | Wade Bassford's Linkedin account