Anias and Jadon McDonald are 13-month old twins, conjoined at the head; the statistical probability for two children to be born this way is one in millions. However, their parents seriously hesitated to push through the operation to separate them.
The procedure was risky, which contributed to the parents' thought of keeping them together. The boys' condition is called craniopagus twins, and it only occurs once every 2.5 million births. Approximately 40 percent of the children born like this are stillborn, and about 33 percent die in the first 24 hours after the C-sections. Consequently, research shows that, provided they're not separated within two years, the children conjoined at the head can experience serious medical complications that could be deadly after the age of two.
The boys share a diameter of 1.5 to 2 inches of brain tissue. According to the doctors, it's not easy to come up with statistics when it comes to such rare conditions, but the procedure does have serious risks, including long-term brain damage or even death for one or both the boys.
As for the changes that are going to occur in the development of the children, the doctors believe the operation marked a second birthday.
"They go back to a 1-month-old. They have to learn to sit. They have to learn to roll. They have to learn to walk. They basically go through a yearlong period of a second infancy," said Dr. James Goodrich, the most experienced craniopagus neurosurgeon, who just marked his seventh separation surgery.
One week before the procedure, Goodrich and Dr. Oren Tepper, a plastic surgeon, met in a conference room and went through a virtual step-by-step technical run of the operation. 3D models and 3D monitors are the most revolutionary tools invented in the past decade, making strategizing easier, and contributing to lowering the risks of highly complicated surgeries.
The brain mapping system helped the doctors get an idea of the vascular configuration of the boys' brains, spending hours studying the brain's anatomy. The positive outcome of this technological possibility of visualizing the operation before it takes place is that it minimizes guessing possible outcomes, as it perfectly simulates the reality of the operation.
The surgery is approximately $2.5 million, and the health insurance of the two parents did cover the better part of that amount. However, the rest of the money was raised using a GoFundMe page to make it possible.
Since their children's birth, the family moved from Illinois to New York in order to be closer to the kids' surgeon. After a successful operation, the future months are crucial in the development of the babies, who will be closely monitored. Parents Nicole and Christian McDonald, who post their experiences on Facebook, are hopeful for the future.
