Jadon and Anias McDonald, a set of 13-month-old conjoined twins connected at the crowns of their heads, were finally separated after 27 hours of surgery.
The twins entered surgery at 7:18 am on Thursday morning. Their older brother, Aza, and their parents walked with them down the hall to the operating room to give them both final kisses before the procedure. “We’ll see our two boys later,” father Christian comforted his wife, Nicole.
The McDonald family was filled with nervous energy and settled in for an agonizingly long wait.
Inside the operating room, Dr. Goodrich was readying himself for the longest craniopagus surgery of his career. “Failure is not an option,” he said before it all began.
At 9:45 am, the surgical team makes the first incision.
Back outside, with the McDonald family, they’ve all had breakfast and Nicole busies herself playing with 3-year-old son Aza. Christian goes to a nearby store to buy thank you cards for all their close friends and family who have helped them on their journey thus far.
As he and his wife write thank you card after thank you card, messages flood in online, sending the family and the twins support from all around the world. "Everybody is really showing how much they love these boys," Christian noted. "I didn't realize how many people out there have so much good in them and how much they want to help."
It’s 2:11 am on Friday morning when Dr. Goodrich makes the announcement, “We are official.” 16-and-a-half hours of surgery later, the twins are separate.
But the story doesn’t end there. Both Jadon and Anias had to have their skulls reconstructed after the separation.
The McDonald parents reunite with Jadon at 7:40 am on Friday. His head is wrapped in white gauze. Both parents burst into tears upon seeing him.
Anias’ surgery, however, is more difficult. The surgeons have to reopen the incision on his head before they can properly reconstruct his skull.
It takes another five hours before the McDonald family can reunite in the same room again.
We with the entire family all the best and will be religiously following them for more updates on the twins’ health as they recover, separate for the first time.
