The birth of twins Erin and Abby Delaney in July 2016 was supposed to bring parents great joy; however, in this instance, the joy was replaced by anxiety.
Each of the 900-gram babies was born 10 weeks earlier than expected. The worst part, however, was that their brains were fused and the doctors made no predictions.
The parents themselves did not consider giving up; instead, they pulled themselves together and made the decision to do everything in their power to support their daughters and make the most limited opportunities available to them.
The doctors decided on a complicated operation when Erin and Abby were 11 months old. The procedure took 11 hours, and the babies were separated, but both of them were able to survive.
The girls are almost four years old right now. They are content. I admire our children. They are truly heroes and so wonderful.
The procedure went well for the doctors, and they keep an eye on how the girls grow and develop on a regular basis, giving them hope for similar successful procedures in the future.
Moreover, this procedure was the first in medical history to separate Siamese twins at such a young age.
I have to admit that we were both afraid. However, we attempted to switch off these feelings and work on the kids, regardless of anything,” Dr. Hoyer shared.
The babies were put into an artificial coma after the operation so that their bodies could recover from the stress.
In order to rehabilitate the brain functions that did not develop while the girls were connected, both girls are currently undergoing therapy.
The sisters will, of course, need to undergo additional procedures in the coming years, including rebuilding their cranial boxes and inserting the missing bones.
Erin and Abby, who are contented parents, are extremely thankful to the doctors for the fact that their daughters are growing up alongside them.
They also have the sincere hope that their daughters will have an amazing and happy life ahead of them, which they deserved after going through such hardships.
