I n late 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, San Francisco resident Asefa Dani, 39, learned she was pregnant with twin boys. At 20 weeks, her doctor warned her that her cervix was open prematurely and urged her to end the pregnancy. Asefa and her husband, Farhan, 39, chose to fight for their babies. On January 26, 2021, Asefa delivered identical twins Zayn and Omar at just 23 weeks. The micro-preemies weighed barely over a pound each. Against the odds, both survived.

As the boys grew, their development diverged. Omar thrived, but Zayn struggled to meet milestones. At six months, doctors diagnosed him with spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy caused by a grade 4 intraventricular hemorrhage at birth. The condition left his legs stiff. With braces, therapy,

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