Nationwide — Paris Singleton-Ajaero and her husband, John Ajaero, who are from Maryland, are grieving after losing their twin babies after Paris went into premature labor at 21 weeks during a cruise. Both infants tragically died before she could bring them home.
Paris, a first-time mom, had boarded a gospel cruise in Tampa, Florida, on February 1 with her mother. She and John had learned she was expecting twins in October 2025 and had no complications before the cruise. But the very first night on board, Paris unexpectedly went into labor.
“Things were fine the full day. We quickly realized the feet were already out,” Paris recalled, according to People. She delivered her son, John Junior, on the ship before being rushed to a hospital in Cancun, Mexico. Despite efforts, he did not survive.
At the hospital, Paris gave birth to her daughter, Journey Rose. “Ultimately, she didn’t have any fluid left, so I was told that I couldn’t leave until she was delivered,” Paris said. Her daughter died the following day.
While in a hospital in Mexico, Paris made heartbreaking video calls to John in the U.S., so he could see their twins. “It’s really jarring to deal with all of this, and this is her first pregnancy, our first try at being parents,” John said.
Paris and her mother eventually returned home without the babies. They are working to bring the twins back to the U.S. for a proper burial.
“It’s hard to feel like we’re at peace because we don’t have them home,” Paris said. “My husband and I, we don’t know how to plan a funeral. It’s not something we ever even talked [about] for ourselves yet.”
The family has set up a GoFundMe to cover medical and transportation costs. It has so far raised over $19,000.