They Operate On A Baby Who Had A Parasite Twin

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

Although she had seen rare medical cases before, when Nancy Swabb ran into the case on Facebook, little Dominique's jaw dropped.

The photo of the baby from Ivory Coast literally showed her carrying part of her parasitic twin sister on her back, a burden that was going to end up killing her.

Swabb saw the photo of the 9-month-old girl online in early January thanks to the Children's Medical Mission West organization, which provides help for children with rare and complex medical cases.

The charity asked for the help of a family to host the girl in Park Rige, near Chicago, where she was going to have surgery at Advocate Children's Hospital.

"That photo really stole my heart," Swabb told CNN. "It looked so sweet."

Swabb and her husband, who are adoptive parents to two girls, ages 9 and 15, immediately began the process to receive the baby.

Finally, the little girl arrived on March 8 and was admitted to undergo 6 intense hours in the operating room, in which the legs and arms of her identical twin had to be removed, which never fully formed and was exerting enormous pressure. in your heart and other vital organs.

The person in charge of the operation was Dr. John Ruge, a surgeon who had already worked with Children's Medical Mission West and who brought together a team of 5 surgeons and 50 specialists to treat Dominique.

As they explained, the case is "unique" and different from other parasitic twins because little Dominique has two spines, and none of them could be removed because it is difficult to define to which of them the brain is connected.

The little girl left the hospital 5 days after the operation and is now recovering.

In addition to the two spines, the only visible vestige of her sister is a protrusion on the back from a bone fused to her spine that gives her stability and that the doctors covered with skin from other parts of the child's body. The girl is already beginning to sit down and will remain in the care of Swabb's family until she is able to return to Africa with her parents.

"Like any child, he should be cared for and watched for developmental problems," Dr. Ruge told CNN. “You are at higher risk because it is built a little differently than other children. But he looks very good."