Jadon and Anias McDonald, conjoined twins, have been successfully separated following a 27-hour surgery. But as Jadon recuperates from this long operation, his brother, Anias, struggles with slow recovery.
Anias had issues with breathing, seizures and heart problems before the operation so the doctors were expecting that his recovery will take time. Since the surgery, he suffered from seizures but the medical practitioners closely monitor the condition with medicine, CNN News learned.
Despite the struggle, Anias is reportedly coping. However, the progress is slower compared to his twin brother but he is keeping up.
The world's renowned surgeon for craniopagus surgery, Dr. James Goodrich, led the operation at the Children's Hospital Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx. It was reported that on Wednesday the twins underwent a procedure to clean out the incision on their heads.
Craniopagus twins (CPT) joined at the head are rare malformation. Estimates of 40 percent of conjoined twins are stillborn with an additional one-third mortality rate in 24 hours usually from congenital organ anomalies.
For many years, CPT separations were attempted. Through the advancement of medical technology and surgical techniques, experts believed that a successful outcome is possible following an operation.
The then-conjoined twins struggled before the operation, according to their mother. They were not able to sit and had difficulties with eating.
The happiness of both parents was beyond measure following the success of the surgery. Christian McDonald, father of the twins, said that holding the twins was a very special moment for their mother to share.
It was last year when the twin's parents launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money in preparation for the operation. The couple received more than $280,000, surpassing their goal of $100,000, US Weekly reported.
The parents of the twins were overwhelmed with the help they received. The family reportedly asked that anyone who wanted to help the twins can instead make a donation to a friend whose child is in need of a kidney transplant.
