Jane and Martin Weekes mourning the death of their triplets
New Zealand parents of triplets killed in a mall fire in Doha, Qatar have been blessed with a set of twins.
Poppy and Parker Weekes were born on Wednesday in Auckland after their parents Jane and Martin underwent IVF treatment.
Their two-year-old triplets Lillie, Jackson and Willsher Weekes were among 13 children who died in the Gympanzee daycare centre when a fire broke out in the Villaggio mall in Doha on May 28, 2012, killing 19 people.
Mr Weekes said they named the girl Poppy in remembrance of Lillie.
“Lillie, who obviously died last year, well we wanted to have another flower name so Poppy was a natural choice for us,” Mr Weekes told NZ’s Radio Live.
But Mr Weekes wouldn’t reveal how they came up with Parker, saying that was a story for his wife to tell once she was released from hospital.
He said the babies were doing well and he and Jane were “over the moon” with their arrival.
“It’s a wonderful thing to share our love with new children,” he said.
While Jane recovers from her caesarean section in hospital, Mr Weekes and his 13-year-old son are keeping busy doing DIY work in preparation for the twins’ homecoming.
Five people responsible for the mall fire, including two with close connections to the Qatar government, were last month sentenced to jail terms of up to six years.
Two of the people involved were the co-owners of Gympanzee – Qatar’s ambassador to Belgium, Sheikh Ali Bin Jassim Al Thani, and Iman Al-Kuwari, the daughter of Qatar’s culture minister.
The quintet were found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and four were hit with the maximum six-year jail term because of their negligence.
May God guide and protect d twins dis time around. D parents must be more careful
Awesome God! He knows how to comfort the broken hearted!