Twins who made up two thirds of Basildon's first triplets celebrate special birthday (From Basildon Recorder)
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Twins who made up two thirds of Basildon's first triplets celebrate special birthday
6:00am Monday 4th February 2013 in Echo News
Twins Tracey Parker and Ray Mudd with their mum, Kathleen Godbeer
TWINS who made up two thirds of the first set of triplets born in the new borough of Basildon are celebrating a landmark birthday five decades on.
Tracey Parker and Ray Mudd celebrated their 50th birthdays on February 1 - but the happy occasion was tinged with sadness as their sister, and Tracey’s identical twin, Angela, died when they were just five days old.
She weighed just 2lb 5oz and wasn’t strong enough to survive after all three babies were born nearly two months premature at St Andrew’s Hospital, in Billericay.
Tracey and Ray, who weighed 3lb 5oz and 4lb respectively, battled to survive and were allowed to go home when they were six weeks old.
Their mum, Kathleen Godbeer, 71, from Basildon, only found out she was expecting triplets seven months into her pregnancy.
She said: “There were no scans in those days. I had an x-ray up at St Andrew’s, I was on my own and the doctor came out and said ‘you better sit down’.
“He asked how would I feel if he told me it was triplets - I think I screamed."
