Jadon and Anias McDonald, who were linked by the head barely a year ago, were able to leave the hospital on Friday, after long months of rehabilitation.
They will be home for their birthday. Jadon and Anias McDonald will celebrate their two years. When they were born, it was difficult for doctors to say they could live that long. The two brothers were born Siamese, linked by the head. In October 2016, they were successfully separated, but this was only the beginning of labor.
After two months of convalescence, they spent nine more at Blythedale Children’s Hospital, a few dozen kilometers north of New York (United States). But this Friday, their parents were able to bring them home.
A risky operation
The two brothers connected at the top of the skull were born with blood vessels and brain tissue in common. This type of Siamese is extremely rare, it affects just over one in 10 million births. In such cases, twins rarely reach the age of two.
A grim prognosis that decided Jadon and Anias’ parents to opt for surgery to separate them, even if the procedure is extremely risky. Thanks to a crowdfunding campaign, they managed to raise more than 84,000 euros to cover medical costs.
Dr James Goodrich, pediatric neurosurgeon, led the operation. The doctor at Montefiore Medical Center, a renowned New York hospital, was not on his first Siamese separation. During a marathon operation that lasted 27 hours, he managed to separate them without unexpected damage.
Nine months of therapy
But the two children, then 13 months old, had brain tissue in common. They had, once the infectious risks have been ruled out after two months of intensive care monitoring, to comply with a therapy which will have lasted more than nine months.
The surgery has indeed made them regress. While Jadon did pretty well from the start, Anias struggled more. Before the separation, some of his duties were performed by his brother.
A new life
He must now be powered by a pump, and cannot sleep without respiratory assistance. But during the nine months of rehabilitation, he made tremendous progress, according to his therapists. Physically, and cognitively. He can now roll over and sit up, and use the right side of his body, including his arm, which was previously almost completely inert.
He also learned to say a few words. When his mother finishes reading him a story, for example, he has taken the habit of saying “End”. “He is following his brother’s path, which is extremely encouraging,” says Nicole, the mother. He just needs a little more time. “
The two boys therefore returned with their parents to the house which they had only lived in for half of their short existence. Their father has made some adjustments to it, now that they are separated. They will be able to celebrate their birthday on September 9, in their new home. A new life begins.
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