Little Anias and Jadon celebrated their first birthday last month.
Today, they are recovering in a New York hospital after a life-threatening operation which took over 20 hours.
They were born with a condition known as craniopagus, which occurs once in ever 2.5 million births. Their doctor, Dr James Goodrich, says it is incredible they have made it this far.
According to reports in the Daily Mail, the little boys were born last September near Chicago, Illinois, and despite being attached by the crown of their heads, their parents Nicole and Christian, said the boys were perfect just as they were.
(Image via Facebook)
During the operation, surgeons discovered the boys shared more brain tissue than they had thought. It meant that Jadon’s surgery was finished hours earlier than his twin brother Anias.
Their mum, Nicole, took to Facebook after the operation;
“The overall atmosphere was one of celebration mixed with uncertainty. Anias really got rocked in this procedure. It really now is up to God in terms of how he recovers. I keep picturing Anias smiling behind his right middle finger in his mouth. Twenty four hours ago he was so rambunctious…full of life. God please give me my baby back. Jadon is such a rock star. They said he hardly batted an eye through the whole procedure in terms of maintaining his vitals. It’s a bit surreal to sit here and type this…I should feel so happy…TWO SEPARATE BABIES!!!…and yet I ache with the uncertainty of the future. I didn’t cry until the surgeon’s left the room. I was barely able to even utter the words “thank you” because of the pit that still sits heavy in my stomach. We are standing on the brink of a vast unknown.”
Thousands of people have followed their journey and contributed to their GoFundMe pages. The operation cost over 2 million dollars and although they have health insurance they are still short. Their parents agreed to go ahead with this rare operation in order to give the boys the chance of a more normal life. The team of neurosurgeons used months practicing using a physical 3D model of the boys’ heads, plus computerized 3D modeling,
(Image via Facebook)
This separation means one or both of the twins may suffer developmental complications, with Anias now more at risk. They will now spend at least three days in intensive care, followed by months of physical and mental rehabilitation.
We wish the family all the very best.
