AFL player faces the heartbreaking prospect of having twins knowing only one will survive.

AFL star Gary Rohan and his wife Aime didn’t know whether to tell people that they’re expecting twins but only one child will survive.

“Ames and I have known about this since our 11-week scan and, since knowing, we’ve been constantly discussing what we should do; how we should tell people; and if we should tell people at all,” the 26-year-old Sydney Swans player posted to Instagram.

“We came to the decision that either way, BOTH our babies are beautiful, precious human beings. The only thing being, that sadly one’s life is destined to be cut short.

“There are going to be some really difficult days ahead but also many happy ones.”

A post shared by GaryRohan16 (@garyrohan16) on Nov 23, 2017 at 10:57pm PST

Rohan revealed one of the pair’s “beautiful bubs” has been diagnosed with anencephaly – a rare and serious birth defect in which a baby is born without parts of the brain and skull.

According to the Centre for Disease Control in the US, there is no cure for anencephaly and almost all babies with the condition will die shortly after birth.

“Babies born with anencephaly are not compatible with life,” Rohan explained.

The couple is speaking out not necessarily to raise awareness – the causes for anencephaly are unknown, with the CDC stating: “anencephaly happens if the upper part of the neural tube does not close all the way in the womb” and that “folic acid before and during early pregnancy can help prevent neural tube defects”.

LISTEN: Women share their birth stories, from touching to difficult. Post continues after audio. 

Instead, they are sharing their story to offer support.

“We would love for anyone who has been affected by anencephaly themselves or know of others affected by anencephaly to please contact us,” Rohan wrote, saying talking to people has been a form of “therapy” for both himself and Aime.

“Don’t be afraid to talk to us about it. That’s what we want, we want people to ask questions, we want to talk about it with others. We still need questions answered as much as everyone else.”

Though the story has no happy ending, there is no doubt the little baby born without a chance will be loved fiercely and forever remembered by his parents.

“And at the end of the day, we will always be parents to twins, our journey has just been written a little differently to others,” Rohan said.

Our hearts go out to Gary and Aime.