Father of newborn conjoined twins appeals for help

[SherriMunnerlyn]

Father of newborn conjoined twins appeals for help

HEBRON (Ma'an) -- The father of new-born conjoined twins on Monday appealed for help for his daughters in Hebron. The twins were born on Saturday in Israel's Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem. They share a heart, and Israeli doctors decided the chances of a successful operation were very slim, after consulting internationally. They were discharged from the Jerusalem hospital on Sunday and taken to a public hospital in Hebron.

"My wife and I knew about the case since the third month of pregnancy. Our doctor told us that the two girls are joined. He decided to refer my wife to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital for delivery, and on May 29 she gave birth to two girls with two heads and a joint heart," the father told Ma'an. "I hope somebody from any country in the world would help us," he added.

The family's doctor says the babies are joined at the chest and the abdomen and separation right now is impossible.

He did not rule out a possibility they can be separated in the future.

My prayers are with these two newly born little girls and their family, that the future may give them a chance at an operation to separate them from one another and a chance for a normal life. I cannot help but believe there are reasons for births like this and an opportunity for God to be glorified in the lives of these beautiful babies.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=601754

Sherri

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

I wish what I was reading was more positive.

Conjoined Twins

Overview Conjoined twins occur once in every 50,000 to 60,000 births. Most are stillborn.
Approximately 75 percent of conjoined twins are joined at least partially in the chest and share organs with one another. If they have separate sets of organs, chances for surgery and survival are greater than if they share the same organs. As a rule, shared heart conjoined twins cannot be separated.

Approximately 70 percent of conjoined twins are female.

Doctors at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have separated more than 20 sets of conjoined twins and have managed the care of many others whose separation was not surgically possible.

Conjoined Twins | The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Sherri

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

Here is a story of a doctor who separated one set of twins who sahred a heart, and one of the babies lived.

The twins who share a heart | Mail Online

Sherri

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

What becomes very obvious from reading that last article, these babies need a doctor and hospital where specialized care is available for them to have the best chances at survival. And they need that now, as soon as possible. That is why the father is appealing for help for these babies.

Sherri

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

Did they send them home just to die?

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

From Haaretz:

Conjoined Palestinian twins with a shared heart and other vital organs returned home to the West Bank Monday after Israeli doctors determined they could not successfully separate them.

The mother, Basma Breiwesh from Hebron, gave birth at Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem. She checked into the Hebron hospital with her conjoined daughters three days later, after Israeli specialists told her the twins could not be saved.

Breiwesh, 34, said she knew she was carrying conjoined twins from her first trimester but that as a devout Muslim, she refused to abort.

"I am a religious woman and I cannot kill my children in my own hands," she told The Associated Press. "I am happy that I brought them to life, and now it is up to the hands of God to keep them alive."

She said she was treated well in Israel, but she decided to return home to
be closer to her four other children. Roughly one out of every 200,000 live births worldwide results in conjoined twins, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center

Israeli doctors determine conjoined Palestinian twins can't be split - Middle East - Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper

Sherri

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

More from Haaretz article: The Israeli hospital said the twins shared a heart, liver and other internal organs and that they would die if separated. They further stated theiir overall prospects of survival are slim.

"It's a very sad case," the hospital said in a statement. "A top-notch team of experts delivered the twins by cesarean section ... comprehensive tests revealed that, unfortunately, the twins could not be separated.

Israeli doctors determine conjoined Palestinian twins can't be split - Middle East - Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper

Sherri

 

[MHunterB]

Did they send them home just to die?

I can't imagine the 'thinking' that led to this remark.

 

[Hossfly]

From Haaretz:

Conjoined Palestinian twins with a shared heart and other vital organs returned home to the West Bank Monday after Israeli doctors determined they could not successfully separate them.

The mother, Basma Breiwesh from Hebron, gave birth at Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem. She checked into the Hebron hospital with her conjoined daughters three days later, after Israeli specialists told her the twins could not be saved.

Breiwesh, 34, said she knew she was carrying conjoined twins from her first trimester but that as a devout Muslim, she refused to abort.

"I am a religious woman and I cannot kill my children in my own hands," she told The Associated Press. "I am happy that I brought them to life, and now it is up to the hands of God to keep them alive."

She said she was treated well in Israel, but she decided to return home to
be closer to her four other children. Roughly one out of every 200,000 live births worldwide results in conjoined twins, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center

Israeli doctors determine conjoined Palestinian twins can't be split - Middle East - Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper

Sherri

It's very nice that you are concerned with this, but are you going to be putting up news bulletin after news bulletin? After all, this unfortunate thing has happened many times in the past to mothers all over the world and will certainly happen again, plus I am willing to bet that you were never on any other forum speaking about something like this when it happened elsewhere, not even when it happened in the U.S.

 

[Connery]

Moved to proper forum

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

Did they send them home just to die?

I can't imagine the 'thinking' that led to this remark.

Read the Haaretz article for yourself, they are saying they have no chance to live.

What I cannot understand is a heartless bitch like you who could care less about these babies dying.

May God have mercy on your soul.

Sherri

 

[Hossfly]

Did they send them home just to die?

I can't imagine the 'thinking' that led to this remark.

I think that anyone who doesn't have the I.Q. of a moron realizes that the only reason she has mentioned these twins is because they happen to be Palestinians twins. If these twins happened to have been born in some place like Guatemala or Poland, they would have never been mentioned. In fact, if they had happened to be born in her own hometown, we would never have heard of them from her.

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

From Haaretz:

Conjoined Palestinian twins with a shared heart and other vital organs returned home to the West Bank Monday after Israeli doctors determined they could not successfully separate them.

The mother, Basma Breiwesh from Hebron, gave birth at Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem. She checked into the Hebron hospital with her conjoined daughters three days later, after Israeli specialists told her the twins could not be saved.

Breiwesh, 34, said she knew she was carrying conjoined twins from her first trimester but that as a devout Muslim, she refused to abort.

"I am a religious woman and I cannot kill my children in my own hands," she told The Associated Press. "I am happy that I brought them to life, and now it is up to the hands of God to keep them alive."

She said she was treated well in Israel, but she decided to return home to
be closer to her four other children. Roughly one out of every 200,000 live births worldwide results in conjoined twins, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center

Israeli doctors determine conjoined Palestinian twins can't be split - Middle East - Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper

Sherri

It's very nice that you are concerned with this, but are you going to be putting up news bulletin after news bulletin? After all, this unfortunate thing has happened many times in the past to mothers all over the world and will certainly happen again, plus I am willing to bet that you were never on any other forum speaking about something like this when it happened elsewhere, not even when it happened in the U.S.

I am posting this story everywhere I can think of to post it, and asking for prayers for these babies, because I have a heart and I care whether they live or die.

Sherri

 

[MikeK]

Looking at this poor creature, and I refer to it in the singular form simply because of its cruelly pathetic reality, I'm wondering why no one has even vaguely mentioned the prospect of merciful euthanasia. Even if it survives, what sort of life can this tragic aberration expect to lead? I can't even imagine the tormenting routine of daily miseries it would be relegated to.

Even if its parents were wealthy and could afford to provide it with every conceivable comfort there is no question in my mind that it would be better off having died at birth.

 

[MHunterB]

Looking at this poor creature, and I refer to it in the singular form simply because of its cruelly pathetic reality, I'm wondering why no one has even vaguely mentioned the prospect of merciful euthanasia. Even if it survives, what sort of life can this tragic aberration expect to lead? I can't even imagine the tormenting routine of daily miseries it would be relegated to.

Even if its parents were wealthy and could afford to provide it with every conceivable comfort there is no question in my mind that it would be better off having died at birth.

Speaking of a 'heartless bitch' ^^^^^^^^

 

[MHunterB]

IFF the doctors are the very most skilled in all the world AND everyone gets lucky, ONE of those girls might get to live a normal life.

The odds are very very slim, and someone would have to try to choose which one to try to save. I suspect one reason they're not doing anything right away is that they're waiting to see which of the girls might be a bit stronger and thus have a slightly better chance.

It is a terrible situation for the parents, to be sure.

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

MikeK, Well, I did provide a link to an article that addressed a case like this where surgery did save the life of one of the babies. So, can we really say there is no hope to save the lives or life of at least one of these babies?Do you give up so easily? Do you not believe miracles can and sometimes do occur?

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

They need to be in a hospital where they can get specialized care.

 

[MHunterB]

Just what 'specialized care' do you think they need? And where did you get your MD ?

 

[Noomi]

Did they send them home just to die?

If they have one heart between them, they can't be separated. Once they start to get bigger, the heart will get weaker, working for two bodies. One of the twins may have to be sacrificed to save the other.