A mum who gave birth to identical twin boys with two different heart conditions says naming them after children’s book characters gave them the “resilience” to survive.

Storm Sanson was shocked when her sons were each diagnosed with a form of congenital heart disease at 20 weeks pregnant.

Artemis, named after the Artemis Fowl book character, was diagnosed with ventricular septal defect (VSD) which meant there was a large hole in his heart.

The parents were told Perseus, named after the Percy Jackson book character, had pulmonary stenosis. This meant the pulmonary valve in his heart was stiff, hindering his blood flow.

The pair were born five and a half weeks early and spent three months in hospital between them.

Perseus underwent two surgeries to widen his valve and increase blood flow and Artemis had open heart surgery at four months old.

Now 18 months old, Storm and her partner Jamie Stephenson, both 27, feel their book character names couldn’t be more fitting.

Special needs primary school teacher Storm said: “They both fought like a pair of lions.

“Percy Jackson is a very strong demigod and has a lot of inner strength. Artemis Fowl is the same, really resilient.

“I loved that both the characters are resilient.”

The Chatham resident was shocked to find out she was expecting twins in February 2022.

But at her 20-week scan the sonographer noticed something wasn't quite right with Perseus’s heart. She said: “I saw his face drop.”

Storm and Jamie, a police officer, were referred to a cardiologist and Perseus was diagnosed with pulmonary stenosis.

Storm explained: “While they were scanning they checked Arty too.

“They said he had ventricular septal defect but that it shouldn’t pose too much of a problem.

“It was a really daunting appointment.”

The parents were told they could choose to terminate but that was out of the question for Storm.

She said: “It doesn’t matter what way they come out to me.”

Storm was booked in for a planned C-section at 36 weeks, because if she gave birth naturally the boys would be unlikely to survive.

But at 34 weeks, she started to experience cramping and was kept in Evelina London Children’s Hospital after her scheduled appointment.

A few days later her contractions became so frequent they decided to take her for a C-section.

Artemis was born first at 2.18pm, weighing 4lbs 3oz, followed shortly by his brother Perseus at 2.23pm, weighing 5lbs 3oz.

Storm said: “Both boys were born fighting.

“Artemis was born first and screaming. Perseus was struggling. He was whimpering like a puppy.”

Perseus was taken straight to neonatal care and at four days old he had surgery where a balloon was put into his heart and expanded it into one of his valves.

In November 2022, he had another surgery to do the same at nine weeks old.

Artemis had come home and been doing well until they were told he was going into heart failure at six weeks old.

Storm said: “One morning he had gone completely blue and floppy and wasn’t breathing.

“I took him to hospital and blood tests revealed he was in heart failure.”

Doctors wanted to wait for him to put on weight before they performed surgery.

Storm said: “He had to be 4kg to have open heart surgery. He dropped down to 3lbs 11oz.

“He looked so skinny and ill. He looked like a skeleton.”

Artemis was fed through a feeding tube until he reached 4kg and was finally taken for surgery in February 2023 to close the hole in his heart.

He was put on a pacemaker for six days before he was weaned off.

Finally, in March 2023 both boys were home and have gone from strength to strength since.

Storm feels their names couldn’t suit them better.

She said: “I used to read the Artemis Fowl and Percy Jackson books to my brothers. We had already decided on Perseus.

“We were stuck on Arty. I was always feeling him kicking up and thought ‘he reminds me of Artemis Fowl’.

“Then we thought ‘actually that’s a really nice name’. They are exactly like their namesakes.

“Perseus is a goody two shoes. Artemis is mischievous. He’s a terror.

“Every little hurdle they had they overcame all of it.”