One year after heartbreak, Colts center Ryan Kelly, wife bring home twin baby boys

INDIANAPOLIS − Ford Patrick and Duke Thomas Kelly, the twin baby boys of Indianapolis Colts center Ryan Kelly and his wife, Emma, are home after spending three months in a neonatal intensive care unit at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown in Nashville.

Kelly posted to social media Monday, revealing the journey of his boys and his love and admiration of his wife, Emma, who less than a year ago endured the devastating still birth of their daughter, Mary Kate.

"Life looks a lot different than it did just a year ago," Ryan Kelly posted to Instagram. "And we have a lot to be thankful for. Thankful we never gave up." And thankful Ford and Duke didn't give up, either.

At 27 weeks pregnant, while in Nashville in June, Emma went into preterm labor. Ford was born first, weighing 2 pounds, 2 ounces, at 7:40 a.m. on June 27. Duke was born nearly two hours later at 9:30 a.m., weighing 2 pounds. Both were immediately admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit at Saint Thomas Hospital.

"A weekend trip turned into three months of ups and downs," Kelly wrote. "(Ford and Duke) faced a long road ahead. Every day that went by, they grew stronger and more resilient to the obstacles in front of them. They've been fighters from the very beginning and our daughter watched over them every day from above."

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"For some reason, we were meant to be at the hospital in Nashville," Kelly wrote. "To the nurses and doctors at St. Thomas Midtown, thank you for caring for our baby boys. NICU doctors and nurses are angels sent from heaven to do the Lord's work, and you can't change my mind. To the Colts and Irsay family, we will forever be thankful for helping us through this and bringing our boys home."

Kelly and Emma brought Ford and Duke home last Monday, making their way back to Indianapolis from Nashville in a private jet provided by Colts owner Jim Irsay.

"I'm happy to say they're home. We have an incredible life. Our friends and family helped us in every way," Kelly wrote. "I've never been more proud of Emma. She was at the hospital each and every day with our boys for three months. The love I see between her, and her boys is what I always dreamed it would be.

"In the darkest days, we believed God would deliver for us and he did. MK is looking on from heaven."

Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on X: @DanaBenbow. Reach her via e-mail: dbenbow@indystar.com.