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Guatemalan Twins Going Home

Aired January 13, 2003 - 13:54   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: A Guatemala-bound FedEx plane will be carrying precious cargo: twin little girls who, until last summer, were joined at the head. They were released from a California hospital just a couple of hours ago.
Our medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, here with a look at how it all went down -- hi, Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, everything seems to be going smoothly for the return of Maria Teresa and Maria De Jesus back to Guatemala. They are due to arrive in Guatemala early this evening, and they will go straight to be admitted to a hospital in Guatemala. Not because they're sick: doctors say, medically speaking, these two girls are doing just fine, but what they need is some physical and occupational therapy. You can tell kind of from looking at them that they're not at the stage where a 17-month-old usually is. They don't do the kind of things that 17-month-olds usually do.

The doctors say they'll have a brief stay at that hospital and then they'll be going home. Now, all of this is pretty amazing. When you consider that just five months ago these two girls were attached at the head. The only way that they could move was to roll around sort of like logs, really, and the doctors at UCLA say they are pleased and proud with how the girls are doing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. EDWARD MCCABE, UCLA MATTEL CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: The hard work of these care-givers has been rewarded in many ways. Certainly they enabled the two Marias to overcome an astonishing physical obstacle and to launch independently their healthy lives. They also leave a legacy of new knowledge that will benefit teaching, research and medical practice far into the future and far beyond UCLA.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: Now, you'll notice that Dr. McCabe said new knowledge. It is because these girls are really unusual. Very few twins attached at the head have been successfully separated, and so doctors will be studying these girls for many years to come. They have had an unusual life, and they will be returning back to Guatemala in a very unusual way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CRIS EMBLETON, HEALING THE CHILDREN: When it came time for us to think about sending the girls home, the problem became how. And a very special thing happened. I have a son, and I was -- that was working at FedEx and I said, Oh, I don't know how I am going to get the girls back, and he turned around and said to me, Mom, when it absolutely, positively has to be there, what do you do? You go FedEx. So he contacted the powers that be at FedEx, and we are very, very grateful the fact that we can say that we are FedExing the girls home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: Now, don't worry. These girls won't be in a FedEx box. They will be on a plane with their family and with seven doctors, nurses, and therapists from UCLA -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Oh, it is heartwarming. Now, Elizabeth, you sort of touched on it. But when you look at these girls, 17 months old, and other girls their age, developmentally tell us some more about the differences here.

COHEN: Right, there are a lot of differences. You'll notice that the girls, particularly one of them, their heads sort of slump to the side. They don't have the kind of head control that a 17-month- old would usually have. They cannot sit up unsupported. Here they're supported by the stroller, but they can't sit up on their own.

They can't crawl, they certainly can't walk. Those are things that you would expect a 17-month-old to do. So the physical therapy that they're going to be getting, they've received some already, but they will be getting more of it, is to help them towards that goal. Now, the big question is, will they reach that goal, will they be like other children their age? And the doctors I talked to said, you know what? We just don't know. They're so unusual. Their situation is so unusual. So few twins have been separated like this. We really don't know what the future will hold for them.

PHILLIPS: Well, it will be exciting to follow, both of their stories. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you.

COHEN: Thanks.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired January 13, 2003 - 13:54   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: A Guatemala-bound FedEx plane will be carrying precious cargo: twin little girls who, until last summer, were joined at the head. They were released from a California hospital just a couple of hours ago.
Our medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, here with a look at how it all went down -- hi, Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, everything seems to be going smoothly for the return of Maria Teresa and Maria De Jesus back to Guatemala. They are due to arrive in Guatemala early this evening, and they will go straight to be admitted to a hospital in Guatemala. Not because they're sick: doctors say, medically speaking, these two girls are doing just fine, but what they need is some physical and occupational therapy. You can tell kind of from looking at them that they're not at the stage where a 17-month-old usually is. They don't do the kind of things that 17-month-olds usually do.

The doctors say they'll have a brief stay at that hospital and then they'll be going home. Now, all of this is pretty amazing. When you consider that just five months ago these two girls were attached at the head. The only way that they could move was to roll around sort of like logs, really, and the doctors at UCLA say they are pleased and proud with how the girls are doing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. EDWARD MCCABE, UCLA MATTEL CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: The hard work of these care-givers has been rewarded in many ways. Certainly they enabled the two Marias to overcome an astonishing physical obstacle and to launch independently their healthy lives. They also leave a legacy of new knowledge that will benefit teaching, research and medical practice far into the future and far beyond UCLA.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: Now, you'll notice that Dr. McCabe said new knowledge. It is because these girls are really unusual. Very few twins attached at the head have been successfully separated, and so doctors will be studying these girls for many years to come. They have had an unusual life, and they will be returning back to Guatemala in a very unusual way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CRIS EMBLETON, HEALING THE CHILDREN: When it came time for us to think about sending the girls home, the problem became how. And a very special thing happened. I have a son, and I was -- that was working at FedEx and I said, Oh, I don't know how I am going to get the girls back, and he turned around and said to me, Mom, when it absolutely, positively has to be there, what do you do? You go FedEx. So he contacted the powers that be at FedEx, and we are very, very grateful the fact that we can say that we are FedExing the girls home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: Now, don't worry. These girls won't be in a FedEx box. They will be on a plane with their family and with seven doctors, nurses, and therapists from UCLA -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Oh, it is heartwarming. Now, Elizabeth, you sort of touched on it. But when you look at these girls, 17 months old, and other girls their age, developmentally tell us some more about the differences here.

COHEN: Right, there are a lot of differences. You'll notice that the girls, particularly one of them, their heads sort of slump to the side. They don't have the kind of head control that a 17-month- old would usually have. They cannot sit up unsupported. Here they're supported by the stroller, but they can't sit up on their own.

They can't crawl, they certainly can't walk. Those are things that you would expect a 17-month-old to do. So the physical therapy that they're going to be getting, they've received some already, but they will be getting more of it, is to help them towards that goal. Now, the big question is, will they reach that goal, will they be like other children their age? And the doctors I talked to said, you know what? We just don't know. They're so unusual. Their situation is so unusual. So few twins have been separated like this. We really don't know what the future will hold for them.

PHILLIPS: Well, it will be exciting to follow, both of their stories. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you.

COHEN: Thanks.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com