Couple Who Welcomed Conjoined Twins Say They Cherished the Hour Their 'Beautiful' Girls Were Alive (Exclusive)

"In the small amount of time that we had with them, they really changed our lives," Breana Dell says

Matthew and Breana Dell’s conjoined twin daughters, Amelia Jane and Elhora Auri, were born in Atlanta at 7:37 a.m. on Feb. 29, weighing just 3.5 lbs. each.

“They didn't ever cry or open their eyes, but they had a heartbeat,” Breana tells PEOPLE. “They were beautiful. I told them they were beautiful.”

The couple had known for months that Breana was pregnant with conjoined twins whom doctors said would be impossible to separate and were unlikely to live long. Still, Breana and Matthew planned to cherish whatever time they had.

Amelia and Elhora lived for about an hour and died lying on their mother’s chest at 8:21 a.m. that February day.

“Their lives were so meaningful," Breana, a 24-year-old stay-at-home mom in Alvaton, Ga., now says. "In the small amount of time that we had with them, they really changed our lives.”

She also marvels at the sense of community created by her girls’ story. Months after they died, Breana continues to share her journey of heartache and healing on Facebook and has found love and support in thousands of strangers — who share their own stories of loss in return.

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“Because of them,” Breana says of her daughters, “I think that there was a domino effect of other things that happened that are good.”

Her husband echoes that.

“It's encouraging to see someone else go through something similar,” says Matthew, also 24 and a project manager at a medical company. “Knowing that hard things happen to other people, we don't have to feel alone.”

'They're at Peace'

The Dells had learned in November that Breana was going to have twins who were conjoined but could not be separated.

“Maybe we'll get to spend a lot of time with some miracle baby girls, or maybe we will get just a little bit of time with them,” Matthew told PEOPLE in a previous interview. “That is still going to be very precious, and we're still very thankful.”

On Feb. 29, the extended family — grandparents, aunts and uncles — all gathered at Northside Hospital Atlanta together and each held the babies, who were conjoined through their torsos.

"That was really special to be able to see them," says paternal grandfather Patrick Dell, 53. "It was the sweetest thing."

Big brother Dallas, then 16 months old, came to meet and say goodbye to his sisters, too.

"It was extremely hard," Matthew remembers, adding, “I was glad for the time that I was able to hold them. They were sweet. They're very beautiful, beautiful little babies.”

And when they died, “It was peaceful,” Breana says. "They're at peace. I'm at peace."

'People Showed That They Care'

The twins’ March 7 memorial service drew some 6,000 mourners online, who attended via a virtual livestream, according to Patrick. Thousands more watched a memorial video that Breana shared on social media. 

“It was just amazing how people all over the world just sent their love and support with prayer and encouraging words,” Patrick says. “You can follow up tragedy and impact people in a positive way.“

Of course we wish that they were here, but we're really grateful that they're not suffering and not in pain,” Breana says. “The people that follow on the Facebook page have just been so kind ... I really wish I could give them all a big hug. They're very sweet, and I like to keep those people updated because they've been so meaningful in our lives.”

On the page, Conjoined Dell Twins, Breana posts about son Dallas, now a toddler, taking out the chest holding his sisters’ belongings and looking through it, or snuggling with his sisters’ quilt — that a stranger sent them, with two hearts intertwined.

As a way to heal, Breana started painting watercolors of irises, her daughters’ birth flower. She recently launched a business, Petal & Paint.

“People showed that they care so much — that has been huge for me, and I’m so grateful,” she says, noting that numerous people also rallied around the family after they started a GoFundMe to help with their medical and other bills.

Patrick, the twins’ grandfather, says the family is planning on a scholarship for music students at a local university.

The couple hopes to build a house in the spring. Eventually, they’d like to have more children.

“Sometimes I wonder: Am I really ready to have another baby or am I just missing the ones I had? And both could be true," Breana says, "and both probably are true."

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