When reflecting on Jane Seymour, most individuals immediately associate her with a distinguished acting career spanning numerous years. Undoubtedly, she is a renowned actress, yet beneath the glitz and glamour, Seymour is a devoted mother, particularly to her children.
Among the challenges Seymour faced in her life, a prominent one was raising twin boys. Her offspring also include Catherine and Sean Flynn, but John Stacy and Christopher Stephen, her twin sons, were born from her union with James Keach.
Seymour’s journey to motherhood was far from straightforward. Following two miscarriages after undergoing in vitro fertilization, she and her husband contemplated adoption. However, at the age of 44, Seymour successfully became pregnant, giving birth to twin boys via C-section six weeks prematurely due to preeclampsia.
The family encountered numerous hurdles from the outset, given the inherent risks associated with premature births and the challenging pregnancy. Seymour candidly admitted to almost losing her life during childbirth, with her babies teetering on the brink of survival.
Despite the perilous circumstances, Seymour expressed no regrets, affirming her deep satisfaction in having her twin boys. The infants required specialized care due to their premature birth, and both grappled with health issues. Johnny, in particular, faced alarming incidents of turning blue twice upon returning home from the hospital.
Seymour, in her commitment to motherhood, often brought the boys with her during filming on location, striving to be fully present for them. As they matured, the twins overcame their initial health challenges and forged a robust bond with their mother.
While glimpses into the family’s life are relatively rare, Seymour recently shared a photograph featuring herself with her now-grown twin sons. Fans swiftly praised the young men for their striking handsomeness and impressive stature.
The behind-the-scenes complexities of individuals’ lives often go unnoticed, underscoring the universality of shared struggles. In recognizing Jane Seymour’s journey, we extend our admiration for successfully raising two remarkable young men.
Tragic events bring orphan colt, mare together
An orphan colt whose mother died shortly after giving birth has a new mom – a mare that had tragically lost her foal – thanks to the generosity of strangers and Washington State University veterinarians playing matchmaker.
Pairing an orphan foal and a nursing mare is a challenging task and one that commonly ends with failure. In this case, the connection was instantaneous.
“The mare had only been without a foal for about 24 hours,” Dr. Lisbeth Matthews, an equine medicine and surgery intern, said. “We walked her into the Veterinary Teaching Hospital and past him. He made a noise, and she went, ‘oh, there’s my foal,’ and started making noises back at him.”
It was a surprise to everyone how quickly the mare, named Shelly but affectionally called Mama by her owners, Roy and Faye Lions, accepted the colt. Equine veterinarian Jenifer Gold, who was helping to care for the foal and to supervise its introduction to the mare, said nursing mares frequently reject orphan foals, and when they don’t, the pairing process often takes days.
“She walked in and started nickering at him like it was her own baby – it was unbelievable,” Gold said. “I’ve been doing this for 20 years, and I have never seen it happen that way.”
The foal, which has been named Laredo, was admitted to the teaching hospital by his owner, Spokane resident Rachel Williams, just days after he was born when he started showing troubling digestive issues. Shortly after the colt arrived in Pullman, Faye Lions placed a call to WSU to see if the equine team was aware of any orphan colts needing a nursing mare.
“Our foal was dead, and nothing was going to bring it back, so we were hoping we could help someone else,” Faye Lions said. “It just so happened there was a foal there.”
A day later, the colt and Shelly were introduced.
“For them to be so willing to basically hand over their animal to a complete stranger after experiencing their own tragedy was pretty phenomenal,” Williams said. “I feel like in this scenario it was the worst of the worst for everybody, but there was a little bit of silver lining to the story.”
Williams is also grateful for the care and treatment she and her foal received at WSU.
“I just can’t even find words to say how great the veterinarians at WSU were,” she said. “They went above and beyond. I am just happy I ended up at WSU. I am so glad we were able to match those two up – it is kind of a miracle.”
Shelly will live with Williams until the colt is ready to be weaned, likely in six months, before she will return to her home in Kamiah, Idaho.
“It will be tough to say goodbye because you just naturally start to bond with animals, and she has kind of been my lifesaver,” Williams said. “It will be bittersweet for sure, but I am sure her owners will be happy to have her back.”
During the spring, the equine team at WSU typically sees at least a handful of orphan foals. Equine medicine specialist Dr. Macarena Sanz said orphan foals can be fed a powdered milk formula designed for horses, but those raised by humans typically develop behavioral issues that can become problematic as the animal matures.
“They turn out to be socially weird, have no understanding of personal space, and they are more difficult to train,” WSU equine veterinarian Macarena Sanz said. “The fact that this orphan foal has a mare is really going to make a difference.”
Sanz strongly encourages owners to immediately call their veterinarian if a foal is orphaned, as early care is critical to the animal’s survival.
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