NEW YORK — A mother who gave birth to set of conjoined twins is getting used to seeing her 13-month-old boys separated after they underwent a 27-hour surgery.
Mom Nicole McDonald posted an update Monday, saying Jadon opened his eyes for the first time since the surgery Thursday at Children’s Hospital at Monefiore Medical Center in New York.
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“My Jadon, in your eyes I found the spark that reignited by hope,” McDonald wrote. “Hello, brown eyes. I’ve missed seeing you see me.”
Jadon and Anias McDonald were born conjoined at the tops of their heads. Since they were born, doctors have been preparing them for the separation surgery.
On Friday, doctors successfully separated them during a 27-hour operation, and now the boys are just starting their long road to recovery.
McDonald posted a heartfelt not to Facebook Saturday, thanking everyone who was involved in her sons’ separation. She thanked the medical staff, cafeteria workers, janitors at Monefiore Medical Center who have show compassion to her and her family since the twins were admitted into the hospital.
“[F]rom the attending doctors to the janitors…these people are the ones who dealt with us on a daily basis, and always with a smile,” McDonald wrote. “Montefiore really is something special.”
She also thanked the thousands of strangers who donated to a GoFundMe page. So far, the page has raised more than $270,000.
"All of you who have selflessly donated to our family. There is NO WAY we could have done this without you. You allowed us to direct all of our attention to these beautiful boys in the way that they deserve. Each and every one of you is a hero in your own way," McDonald wrote on Facebook.