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Everything About Them is a Miracle

All she wanted was to hear them cry. After five long years of trying to conceive, the hours before Anaferanji “Nafé” Kapeni gave birth felt like a whirlwind. “When I found out I was pregnant, with twins, my prayers had been answered,” she said. But an abnormal ultrasound at 28 weeks meant Nafé had to be admitted to Memorial Hospital for observation and receive steroid shots for lung development in case she delivered her babies early. While nurses provided much needed words of encouragement, Nafé prayed for a miracle. She received two.

Zakkai Musasa entered the world at 1 pound, 14 ounces and Zakkar Musasa weighed 2 pounds, 6 ounces. “After I heard them cry, I knew my journey as a mother had begun,” Nafé said. Nurses immediately placed the boys on CPAP machines that helped them breathe for most of their 75 days in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit. “The nurses were amazing. They allowed me to be a mommy to them, regardless of what machines they were on. I never missed a day,” Nafé said. “They never stopped caring, regardless of the endless questions and requests I had. I wasn’t afraid to leave at night because I knew they were in good hands.”

Finding ways to bond with such fragile babies connected to machines with wires and tubes is not always easy. Nafé connected with her beautiful boys through song. “The nurses would ask, ‘Are you going to sing for your babies today?’ To tell you the truth, I was singing to take away my anxiety and nervousness. It wasn’t until later, when I’d sing the same songs at home and they’d cuddle with me just like we cuddled in the NICU, that I realized the power of voice to these precious little souls.”

Her twins humble beginnings did not just change Nafé as a person, they also changed her future. “All I wanted was to give back and make a difference in people’s lives, just like the hospital did with my life. If not for the special team in the NICU, I would not have this opportunity,” she said. “I feel like the sky is my limit.” Nafé went back to school and earned her LPN. She is working toward an associate’s degree in nursing and ultimately hopes to become a nurse practitioner specializing in pediatrics. “I owe this to the staff at the Children's Hospital and to my boys. Everything about them is a miracle.”

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