Angelina Sabuco, at left, is held by her mother Ginady Sabuco and twin sister Angelica, is held by aunt Marita Sabuco, at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Monday, Nov. 14, 2011 in Stanford, Calif. The twin sisters, who were born joined in the chest an abdomen, are preparing to go home after an intricate surgery by a group of Lucile Packard doctors to separate them. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Angelina Sabuco, at left, is held by her mother Ginady Sabuco and twin sister Angelica, is held by aunt Marita Sabuco, at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Monday, Nov. 14, 2011 in Stanford, Calif. The twin sisters, who were born joined in the chest an abdomen, are preparing to go home after an intricate surgery by a group of Lucile Packard doctors to separate them. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Ginady Sabuco, center, holds her daughter Angelina next to surgeon Gary Hartman, at right, at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Monday, Nov. 14, 2011 in Stanford, Calif. Angelina and twin sister Angelica, who were born joined in the chest and abdomen, are preparing to go home after an intricate surgery to separate them by a group of Lucile Packard doctors. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Angelica Sabuco, center, is carried by her aunt Marita Sabuco and accompanied by family after a meeting with the press following surgery to separate her from her twin sister Angelina at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Monday, Nov. 14, 2011 in Stanford, Calif. The twin sisters, who were born joined in the chest an abdomen, are preparing to go home after an intricate surgery by a group of Lucile Packard doctors to separate them. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Angelina Sabuco, at left, is held by her mother Ginady Sabuco and twin sister Angelica, is held by aunt Marita Sabuco, at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Monday, Nov. 14, 2011 in Stanford, Calif. The twin sisters, who were born joined in the chest an abdomen, are preparing to go home after an intricate surgery by a group of Lucile Packard doctors to separate them. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Angelina Sabuco, at left, is held by her mother Ginady Sabuco and twin sister Angelica, is held by aunt Marita Sabuco, at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Monday, Nov. 14, 2011 in Stanford, Calif. The twin sisters, who were born joined in the chest an abdomen, are preparing to go home after an intricate surgery by a group of Lucile Packard doctors to separate them. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
PALO ALTO, California (AP) ? Twin sisters who had been joined at the chest are preparing to leave the hospital two weeks after surgery ? each in their own car seat.
Angelica and Angelina Sabuco have been recovering at a California hospital since their Nov. 1 operation. The hospital said Monday that the 2-year-olds should be able to return home in the next couple of days.
Angelina and Angelica were born in the Philippines and live in California.
"They are recovering very, very well," said lead surgeon Dr. Gary Hartman. "Our goal is to return as many children as we can to happy, healthy lives."
Hartman said the girls are off pain medications and their livers are functioning normally. He will continue seeing the girls for weekly outpatient therapy, and they will see a plastic surgeon, Dr. Peter Lorenz, for follow-up procedures. Lorenz said the girls' chest walls have a bit of an abnormal shape but it can be molded as they grow.
Angelina and Angelica also will continue physical and occupational therapy to build up their strength and develop their motor skills, the hospital said.
The sisters made their post-surgery debut during a news conference at the hospital Monday.
Wearing bright red dresses with bows in their hair and held by their mother and aunt, the girls appeared at ease with the all the attention. Their mother, Ginady Sabuco, smiled and laughed and urged her daughters to wave and say hello as they approached reporters.
"We're so excited now to go home and see them sitting in their own car seats," she said. "We cannot wait to see them playing, walking and running."
The girls are sleeping in separate beds, their appetites are growing and they are learning how to walk again. Remarkably, even as they were joined at the chest, the girls had learned to walk but would move sideways. They are now learning to go forward and backward.
"Balance is the biggest challenge," said Amy Weisman, physical therapist. "They are now taking steps with support."
Within 72 hours of the 10-hour surgery, both girls were breathing on her own. Within a week, they had moved from intensive care to a regular hospital room.
A team of more than 40 doctors, nurses and hospital staff took part in the case.
Ginady Sabuco said when the girls woke up after surgery they looked around and called out "mama."
At that moment, she said, "all the hardships went away."
Associated Pressdexter season 6 homeland homeland andy rooney 60 minutes andre johnson andre johnson arrested development
কোন মন্তব্য নেই:
একটি মন্তব্য পোস্ট করুন