Last Night’s Episode of ‘This Is Us’ Sparked the Most Emotional Twitter Trend Yet

Season three, episode 15 of This Is Us hit fans hard, which is saying a lot for a show that makes us cry every Tuesday. The emotional stakes were raised as viewers waited to see if Kate (Chrissy Metz) and her baby would pull through after she went into labor at only 28 weeks pregnant. It struck a chord with fans, but for some it hit much closer to home.

Inspired by Kate not only surviving her dangerous labor, but vowing to fight for little Jack’s life, many real-life mothers who gave birth to premature babies shared their stories on Twitter. Daniela Cardenas was one of them. 

She delivered her son at just 26 weeks pregnant and today, she’s happy to report ­he’s a healthy 9-year-old. Cardenas shared a side-by-side photo comparison of her newborn son and her son now, and the effect was awe-inspiring. “#ThisIsUs is giving me so many flashbacks. My 26 weeker who is now 9 years old!,” she wrote after watching the episode.

Metz took notice and re-tweeted Cardenas’s message.

She captioned her post, “Awww! Look at your adorable fighter, thriving!!!”

Jen Herring, who gave birth at 27 weeks, also shared her story along with a photo of herself, her partner and her baby.

“Our baby girl was born at 27 weeks because I had the HELLP Syndrome. Not knowing her outcome still gets us emotional but she’s a fighter and now healthy. @NBCThisIsUs thank you for this episode!”

Esti Zanetti followed suit and shared the poignant tale of how she became a mother to her daughter, Jazz.