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New York City, NY (August 18, 2004) -- Two weeks after their separation surgery, Carl and Clarence Aguirre are continuing to “do well and have a fantastic recovery with no neurological deficits,” according to David Staffenberg, MD, chief, Pediatric Plastic Surgery at The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM) and one of the lead surgeons on the boys’ medical team.
“It is still early on, however, and there is a long road of wound healing ahead. We need to keep a close watch on them,” he cautioned, speaking outside the boys’ separate rooms in the CHAM Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
To continue that monitoring, the boys will remain at CHAM until they are ready to return to Blythedale Children’s Hospital in Valhalla, NY to continue physical therapy.
Mother Holds Boys Individually for the First Time
Arlene, the boys’ mother held them individually today, picking up Clarence from his bed early in the morning, cuddling him and rocking him gently in her arms. When she picked up Carl, the larger of the twins later in the morning, she exclaimed: “Oh, my God he is heavy.” She then sat in a chair with Carl in her lap, a red-socked foot dangling over the chair’s edge, the other foot connected by IV tubes to his bed.
The boys are in separate rooms and Arlene visits each of them throughout the day.
Arlene thanked the hundreds of well-wishers who have sent e-mails to her through the CHAM web site. She also expressed her deep gratitude to all the nurses and therapists at Montefiore and Blythedale who have been at her side for the past 10 months.
Carl Goes for Maintenance Check
On Wednesday morning, August 18, 2004 Carl underwent a 25 minute “maintenance check” procedure to get a closer look at how his wounds were healing, said Dr. Staffenberg. Some fluid has developed under the skin flaps that were placed over Carl’s skull after the separation surgery. “This is normal for all craniofacial surgical procedures,” said Dr. Staffenberg.
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