 |
NEW YORK CITY, NY (December 12, 2003) – The incandescence of Carl and Clarence’s personalities turned on full force today, as if to compete with the morning sunshine also brightening the room they share with their mother, Arlene, at The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM).
“After a few days of recovery post-surgery, today it’s clear the boys are feeling even better,” said Robert Marion, MD, the twins’ pediatrician at CHAM. “It’s great to see them acting like boys their age…funny, curious, playful and more than a little mischievous.”
Both Carl and Clarence started the day today by exercising their vocal chords. Visiting Christmas carolers have been helping the boys find their voices, and mother Arlene spends much of every day singing favorite songs to her sons. Clarence and Carl have each developed a fondness for music with “clap-to” and “wiggle-to” possibilities, and their tape player is in almost constant use.
Carl is running a low-grade fever, so the family will remain at CHAM at least through the weekend so doctors and nurses can keep an eye on the boys’ conditions.
As further evidence of the brothers’ improving physical and developmental abilities, Clarence twice attempted a “crib break” by wriggling and kicking himself over to the soft crib bumpers and then trying to flip himself (and Carl) over so he could try to climb out.
“He is so interested in whatever is going on outside his world in the bed and he wants to be out there exploring and playing,” said Arlene Aguirre.
“Carl kept me up most of the night so we both are a little tired,” Ms. Aguirre said. “He was not happy that his brother wanted to be so active, so Carl kept bopping Clarence a little bit with a (soft) toy.”
One of the pediatric intensive care nurses who cares for the boys (and other patients) in the highly-specialized unit worked with Ms. Aguirre establish a happy peace between the brothers, which was helped along when Carl and Clarence both fell asleep for a nice long nap.
For the News Media
Contact our public relations staff.
Our Public Relations team is informed, connected and responsive. We are at your service, on call 24/7, and we will work hard to help you in any way we can – whether by tracking down sources for your stories or arranging video shoots, or getting an expert to help you in your background research.
Call us at 718.920.4011, or click here to view our Office of Public Relations contacts.
Director, Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery,
CHAM
We're known around the world for successfully separating Carl and Clarence Aguirre, born joined at the tops of their heads. Our specialists care daily for children with brain tumors, spinal cord injuries and craniofacial deformities.
