Emma & Taylor recovering after their surgery.

Here's the latest update on Emma & Taylor who have just had surgery today. (FYI - this surgery was to place a band around Emma's aorta to help reduce her blood pressure.)

Just wanted to let you know how well all went today. They were in surgery about 1 ½ hours and they are now in intensive care. They are keeping them somewhat sedated with morphine, at least for now. The doctors seemed pleased and felt that it could not have gone any better. I think the girls will be in for maybe 2-4 days and then possibly a couple of days here and then they will head home – I think towards the end of next week. I don’t know for sure. I think everyone has felt that these little girls continue to be blessed with all the prayers that have gone out for them. It was pretty cute. This morning, they put purple tape on Emma (and her dolly) and pink tape on Taylor & dolly. When we got into the ICU room – they each had a nurse – Taylor’s nurse had wrapped the pink tape around her own head/wrist and Emma’s had done purple. They are being watched pretty closely with monitors and everything is being documented.
All in all, very good signs today –

Love, Grandma Joan

3K, 5K & 10K Fundraising Event

On Valentines Day, February 14th, 2009, get ready to run for "Two Sisters-One Heart"! We are holding a fundraising event for Emma and Taylor--Valentines seemed the perfect day for it! The Non-Profit Organization, "Two Sisters-One Heart" is raising funds to kick off the continued health for the twins and ultimately, provide financial help to those parents of conjoined twins who do not survive.

This is going to be AWESOME! I have a small army of friends working on this....it's going to be BIG, with runs/walks, sponsored breakfast & lunch, vendors, activities---perfect for the whole family!

For Registration & Information or to sponsor, check out the site at:
http://www.twosisters-oneheart.blogspot.com/

October 2008

Snohomish, Washington

Emma & Taylor at the Farm

Here are some bits of information and thoughts to give you some understanding as to what's involved in making the decision whether to go forward with the separation of the girls:

*The hardest decision a parent would have to make is to have to make a decision. If there isn't a possibility of separation, there isn't a choice to make.

*An average child with congestive heart disease would live to late childhood, early teens. The shared heart these girls have is considered below average.

*One more test is needed which would measure the pressure in Emma's heart. If it's too high, then the possibility of separation would be taken off the table completely.

*They each have the anatomy to support a transplant heart. Artificial hearts work as an attachment to a heart--not an option.

*It's a small window in which to perform the separation. Too much longer, separation cannot be considered.

*With several preliminary surgeries, separation and recovery, the time frame would be 6-9 months minimum. How do we then manage family life, work, school for the big kids, etc.? Do we split up the family or not, in order to keep stability for work and the big kids?

*The doctors never said they should or should not separate. They said, "We can support you through this process. But the decision is up to you."

Hospital Consultations

One of the most frequently asked questions would be for us is, "So, when are they going to be separated?" I suppose I would wonder the same thing if I ever saw conjoined twins. At the moment, there really isn't an answer to that question. We have been in Seattle, which also happens to be home for grandmas and grandpas, for the last 2 weeks completing very preliminary testing in exploring this possibility. With the information and discussions that we've been able to have with a team of surgeons there, we realize more fully the great miracle it is for our daughters to be alive and happy and the blessing it is for our family. In theory, we may have the potential for separation within a small window of time to do so, and we also have a better idea of an expected life span if they remain conjoined living with congestive heart disease that will, in time, become heart failure. A decision to have them remain conjoined needs to be weighed as equally heavy as considering separation, something we had not expected to deal with. But we do feel confident that for now, we should continue forward and consider very seriously and prayerfully our options and the choice that needs to be made.

Guess who's TWO?

Happy Birthday Emma & Taylor!

September 20th!

Discovery Health Program:

"Two sisters, One Heart"

Oct. 22nd, 8 and 11pm

(Comcast channel #220)

Check listings at www.discoveryhealth.com for additional air times.



In October, the girls will begin the process of testing to determine the possibility of separation.