Twins Kasee and Karlee Avery know what it’s like to be thankful. In January 1999, the sisters were born at 23 weeks and 5 days gestation, nearly four months early. Karlee weighed one pound six ounces, and Kasee weighed one pound nine ounces. They were as long as a dollar bill. Along with their early birth, certain problems arose in their health that made it difficult to survive, especially at such a young age. The two remained in the hospital for 103 days after their birth in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Both had two different occurrences of heart failure, and Kasee had to undergo heart surgery, eye surgery and a hernia-removal surgery in Birmingham and Memphis.

“It hasn’t really affected me health wise, but it has made me a fighter since day one,” Karlee said. “I have a strong work ethic, strong drive, and I know what I want in life.”

Karlee and Kasee, now healthy 17-year-old juniors at Tupelo High School, both attribute their strong wills and positive attitudes towards life to their experiences in the NICU. It has taught them the value of life and brings great feelings of joy, thankfulness, and humility when they think of their story and the men and women who worked to keep them alive.

One of these people is neonatologist Bryan Darling. Darling has been working with premature babies for 26 years now and said he gets incredible joy and satisfaction from his work.

“I spent four months with the Averys and trying to help them,” Darling said. ”It is incredibly awesome to see how well they are doing.”

The Averys said they are grateful for what people like Darling and others have done for them, so every year they try to repay those kindnesses as best as they can.

“We take food to the hospital every year to feed them lunch,” Kasee said. “This year we brought the nurses and doctors Subway sandwiches.”

Darling said the Averys bringing food to the hospital every year has brings a lot of joy to the NICU’s doctors and nurses.

“Karlee and Kasee coming is so exciting for all of us on staff.” Darling said. “We get attached to the babies we help and are constantly wondering how they are doing, and it’s a pleasure anytime we get to find out and see them. And to see how well the twins are doing is incredibly encouraging to us and reminds us why we do what we do.”

Through doing this yearly ritual, the Avery’s have successfully been able to reconnect and serve the people who saved their lives.

“We do this to show thanks for saving our lives,” Karlee said. ”There’s no way we could ever repay them, so giving them a meal is the least we could do.”