The three-year-old twins with their mother Mandy, who is also mother two four other children. The parents of conjoined twins who have only one heart face an agonising dilemma over their future.
Emma and Taylor Bailey, three, are fused from the breastbone down to the belly button, and share a heart and liver.
Doctors have told their parents Mandy, 32, and Tor, 34, from Queens Creek, Arizona, the girls will need to be separated in one to two years' time.
Details of the operation are uncertain, but it is likely to mean both girls will need heart transplants and one will need a liver.
Mandy, who is also mum to Paige, 11, Drew, nine, Cole, seven, and Blake, two, said: 'There's a tiny window of time for a separation.
'We have to get it completely right, if we wait too long then the operation cannot go ahead.'
The pair's single heart is becoming weaker because of the stress upon it and it is likely to fail if they are not separated.
Doctors at Seattle Children's Hospital have been assessing Emma and Taylor since they were a year old in preparation for the surgery.
If the operation is successful it will be the first time twins born with one heart will have been separated.
'In the next year, life for all of us will be drastically different,' said their mum.
'We know we have to make difficult choices.
'We understand the risks. But we also understand the outcome if we don't do anything.
Miracle: When the girls were born, doctors said they would live for only a few minutes
Before the twins were born, Mandy and Tor, a stay-at-home mother and builder, were told the twins' single heart, which has seven chambers instead of four, was so large it would crush their lungs.
'We were told they'd live for minutes, and then they'd suffocate,' said Mandy.
'Tor was hoping to hear them cry just once.
'The girls were handed to him straight away and they simultaneously inhaled and quietly cried.
'It was a magical sound.
Emma and Taylor Bailey, three, are fused from the breastbone down to the belly button, and share a heart and liver.
Doctors have told their parents Mandy, 32, and Tor, 34, from Queens Creek, Arizona, the girls will need to be separated in one to two years' time.
Details of the operation are uncertain, but it is likely to mean both girls will need heart transplants and one will need a liver.Mandy, who is also mum to Paige, 11, Drew, nine, Cole, seven, and Blake, two, said: 'There's a tiny window of time for a separation.
'We have to get it completely right, if we wait too long then the operation cannot go ahead.'
The pair's single heart is becoming weaker because of the stress upon it and it is likely to fail if they are not separated.
Doctors at Seattle Children's Hospital have been assessing Emma and Taylor since they were a year old in preparation for the surgery.
If the operation is successful it will be the first time twins born with one heart will have been separated.
'In the next year, life for all of us will be drastically different,' said their mum.
'We know we have to make difficult choices.
'We understand the risks. But we also understand the outcome if we don't do anything.
Miracle: When the girls were born, doctors said they would live for only a few minutes
Before the twins were born, Mandy and Tor, a stay-at-home mother and builder, were told the twins' single heart, which has seven chambers instead of four, was so large it would crush their lungs.
'We were told they'd live for minutes, and then they'd suffocate,' said Mandy.
'Tor was hoping to hear them cry just once.
'The girls were handed to him straight away and they simultaneously inhaled and quietly cried.
'It was a magical sound.
When the twins were well enough to be discharged, the future was still unknown. They were given oxygen and medication to strengthen their lungs.
But they defied doctors and have grown into healthy and happy three-year-olds.
The girls can feed themselves and are learning to get about using a special walker.
Mandy said: 'We realise what a great miracle it is for our daughters to be alive and happy.
'They are a blessing for our family.'
She added: 'The girls are becoming different people and developing adorable little traits.
'Taylor is the bossy one. But Emma is a bit crazy, she's always pulling funny faces.'
But there are problems with having cheeky toddlers who are conjoined.
'If I want to put one of them in time out, they both have to go,' said their mum
'There are a few things we're still working on. We haven't even begun potty training yet.
Independent: The girls move around using a specially-adapted walker and are able to feed themselves
Seattle Children's Hospital will not discuss the details of any potential separation.
It might involve finding a heart transplant for one sister, and then placing the other temporarily on an artificial heart until a second can be found.
However, Mandy said an artificial heart may not be a possibility, as it would have to work as an attachment to the twins' original heart.
A new liver would also need to be found for at least one twin.
The twins have already undergone smaller heart operations.
One in June last year involved placing a band around Emma's aorta to reduce her blood pressure.
The girls had another operation in November and are likely to have other preparatory surgeries this year.
Mandy said: 'As time goes on the question over separating them changes and gets more complicated.
'It is the hardest decision a parent would ever have to make.
'But we just keep going for the sake of our family.
'We will move to live near the hospital when doctors decide the time is right.'
Luckily the family's medical insurance has so far covered therapy sessions, medical tests and will pay for any future treatment they need, including a separation.
The Bailey's dilemma has inspired them to begin their own foundation to offer support for other parents of conjoined twins.
To find out more visit the Two Sisters One Heart Foundation (www.twosistersoneheart.com).
But they defied doctors and have grown into healthy and happy three-year-olds.
The girls can feed themselves and are learning to get about using a special walker.
Mandy said: 'We realise what a great miracle it is for our daughters to be alive and happy.
'They are a blessing for our family.'
She added: 'The girls are becoming different people and developing adorable little traits.
'Taylor is the bossy one. But Emma is a bit crazy, she's always pulling funny faces.'
But there are problems with having cheeky toddlers who are conjoined.
'If I want to put one of them in time out, they both have to go,' said their mum
'There are a few things we're still working on. We haven't even begun potty training yet.
Independent: The girls move around using a specially-adapted walker and are able to feed themselves
Seattle Children's Hospital will not discuss the details of any potential separation.
It might involve finding a heart transplant for one sister, and then placing the other temporarily on an artificial heart until a second can be found.
However, Mandy said an artificial heart may not be a possibility, as it would have to work as an attachment to the twins' original heart.
A new liver would also need to be found for at least one twin.
The twins have already undergone smaller heart operations.
One in June last year involved placing a band around Emma's aorta to reduce her blood pressure.
The girls had another operation in November and are likely to have other preparatory surgeries this year.
Mandy said: 'As time goes on the question over separating them changes and gets more complicated.
'It is the hardest decision a parent would ever have to make.
'But we just keep going for the sake of our family.
'We will move to live near the hospital when doctors decide the time is right.'
Luckily the family's medical insurance has so far covered therapy sessions, medical tests and will pay for any future treatment they need, including a separation.
The Bailey's dilemma has inspired them to begin their own foundation to offer support for other parents of conjoined twins.
To find out more visit the Two Sisters One Heart Foundation (www.twosistersoneheart.com).
1 comment:
No comment. Only God knows.
disminder.
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