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New York City, NY (December 1, 2004) – Clarence can now sit by himself and Carl is already standing, supporting his own weight without difficulty. That’s the latest report from two of the formerly conjoined Filipino twins’ chief doctors at The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore CHAM).
Chief of Pediatric Plastic Surgery David Staffenberg, MD, and pediatrician Robert Marion, MD, both say they’ve observed the boys “sitting up for more than a minute, a huge advance from where they were even a couple of weeks ago.” “We watched Carl stand, hold on to a table top and play with toys,” said Dr. Marion. “ He is really truly standing.” “I saw Clarence sitting up on his own, a truly remarkable sight,” said Dr. Stafffenberg.
Carl and Clarence have been undergoing various forms of therapy at Blythedale Children’s Hospital while they await a new series of surgeries at The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore to complete skin grafts and then reconstruct complete skulls. They had been born joined at the tops of their heads and flew halfway around the world for a series of delicate, complex and life-saving surgeries to separate them at CHAM. The historic operations over a ten- month period resulted in their final separation on August 4th.
The boys’ continuing progress is a strong indication that they will continue to thrive and grow up to lead normal lives. Clarence and Carl are already eating solid food with limited aid from a feeding tube, keeping time to music and playing with their musical toys.
No timetable has as yet been announced for the new series of operations.
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