These Babies Taught Modern Medicine a Real Lesson: Sometimes, It’s Not the Technology; It Takes a Human Touch

Eighteen years ago, Brielle and Kyrie Jackson were just barely hanging on to life. Born months premature, the tiny, infant twins were kept in the hospital intensive care unit, their parents hoping and praying for life. Brielle started failing, unable to breathe, her heartbeat shallow and faint, but it wasn’t a drug or a doctor’s ministrations that saved her: it was the loving embrace of her sister. The rescuing hug, captured and immortalized by a photojournalist, revolutionized modern medicine’s treatment. It’s…the human touch.