Linda Trepanier is a 58 year-old nurse from Minnesota who has fostered 16 children over many years while also raising three biological children. Though this has given her much experience in childcare, she has never had an experience like this one.

Linda just became the adopted mother of twin boys who suffer from a genetic condition that is extremely rare.

Marshall and Matthew are twin boys who were born with Pfeiffer Syndrome, a genetic condition that causes skull and limb deformity. This has given the boys breathing difficulties as well as other special needs, and Child Protective Services decided that their parents were not fit to give them proper care before they left the hospital.

This is how the twins ended up being fostered with Linda when they were just four months-old.

Linda says that many people have told her that she should be focusing on retiring instead of caring for two boys with special needs, but she has fallen completely in love with the twins. She admits that caring for the boys is hard work, but it’s incredibly rewarding for her.

“I just fell in love with them. I knew in my heart that they were my boys,” she said. “People struggle to understand. They say, ‘Oh, those kids are going to tie you down.’”

“When I first saw the twins, I thought they were the most adorable babies I’ve ever seen,” Linda said. “They had big heads and tiny bodies. As soon as I saw them, I fell in love. I knew in myself that these boys were mine.”

When social services initially approached Linda about adoption, they only wanted her to adopt one of the boys. However, she could not bear to separate the twins, so she adopted them both! The adoption was finalized when the boys were 3, and Linda could not have been happier.

“I feel blessed that I can make the lives of these children better,” said Linda. “It’s a really hard job but seeing them happy makes me happy too.”

The boys have had three surgeries for their skulls, and since they are especially prone for infection, Linda has to do quite a lot to take care of them, but she does not mind at all.

Find out more about this incredible story in the video below.