Great hope for disabled twins

She and her husband also struggle with health problems. Catherine has asthma and diabetes, while Alvin needs kidney dialysis three times a week. The family gets by on disability and Social Security checks, food stamps and caregiver funds from the state. The lights were off on a recent afternoon to keep down the electric bill.

``Let me tell you,'' Barthell said, resting a weary cheek in her palm. ``You've heard of robbing Peter to pay Paul? . . . The most important things are the mortgage and the food. . . . If I have enough I will pay the light bill too. Then next month I'll pay something else and let the light bill go. I sort of shuffle things around.''

Dozens of family pictures around the house don't conceal the peeling paint. Recently laundered clothes and towels are piled on the living room couch and coffee table, and some of Andre's shirts hang on an ironing board near the front door.

``This is supposed to be Andre's room,'' Barthell said during a tour of the modest house, ``but he won't leave out my bed. . . . I guess he feels safe.''

Barthell says the twins' mother supports her drug habit through prostitution, and sees the children once or twice a month. Their father comes by a couple of times a year. The occasional visits are hard on the kids, she says.

Natalie wears her hair in more than a dozen braids, each one sealed with a colorful plastic barrette. Andre has big brown eyes that look like molten chocolate. When a photographer points a camera at them, Natalie presses her cheek against her brother, and the pair pose for pictures with impish smiles.

Natalie wants a Barbie, preferably a cheerleader, for Christmas. She also loves music and fashion. Andre wants Transformer action figures and toy cars.

Barthell is more practical. ``We could really use money to pay the bills,'' she said.

Tania Rodriguez, chief operative officer of Voices for Children, which raises money for guardians to represent abused and neglected children in court, nominated the family for The Miami Herald's Wish Book program.

``These great-grandparents are so amazing the way they are fighting for these kids,'' Rodriguez said. ``They are willing to do whatever it takes.''

(Edit:Ruby)