The twins had a common liver and were linked to the chest before the separation surgery.
Nearly three months after successful surgery to separate the conjoined twin sisters who shared a liver from birth, the pair are now sleeping together at home. JamieLynn and AmieLynn, the first conjoined twins to undergo surgical separation at Cook Children's Medical Centre, made history in January. The girls had a common liver and were linked to the chest. According to Cook Children's, their 11-hour procedure, which involved a team of 25 medical specialists, including six surgeons, made headlines all around the world. The conjoined twins were separated at the hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, for the first time in January.
They were born there in October 2022. More than a week apart, the sisters returned home to live with their family. According to the press announcement, Amie came in second on April 7 after JamieLynn on March 21. As Amie recovered from a different chest operation, she needed more care in the newborn critical care unit. Earlier, the separation procedure from January took 11 hours to finish. "It's definitely a weight lifted. I'm excited and happy, it's a lot of emotions," their mother Amanda Arciniega said in a statement. While father James Finley told KXAS-TV, "Some moments are just so hard, you have to stay positive, you have to keep the right mindset."
According to the hospital, JamieLynn, two elder siblings, and a cousin accompanied her parents on April 7 as they welcomed Amie home for the first time. As per PEOPLE, the twins now share a room in their Fort Worth home. Following the separation procedure, both girls need more therapy "to help them reach their full potential," according to their medical team.
The Finley twins now have a designated fund established by the EECU Community Foundation that reads, “While this is an exciting next step for the twins, the Finleys need our help! Caring for the twins will be complex, and your donations will support not only the twin's needs but also the rest of the family. Even a small donation will go a long way.”
Dr. Jose Iglesisas, Medical Director and Lead Surgeon said, “It’s neat when we get to see our kids go home to their families, it’s why we do it. To get to see them with their loving family all together is just the ultimate for us. With so many steps in their journey, it reminds us how big and how great our Cook’s Children’s family is to help them achieve milestone after milestone. I’m proud of the loving and attentive family and proud of an amazing team is probably the best summary I have.”
Meanwhile, Nurse Brianne Galvan told the NBC outlet, “They’re part of our family and there’s a little piece missing now that they’re not here, but we’re also so happy they’ve done so well and they get to go home and be with each other.”
Reference:
https://eecucommunityfoundation.org/donate/pages/finleytwins
Cover Image Source: YouTube | WFAA
