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Maria de Jesus was released earlier this month from the Mattel Children’s Hospital. Here sh
Separated twin leaves hospital while sister remains in surgery recovery
Maria de Jesus Quiej Alvarez, one of the 23-month-old twins formerly conjoined at the head, was discharged from UCLA’s Mattel Children’s Hospital on June 7.
She is staying at a local home provided by volunteers from the Healing the Children Foundation.
Her sister, Maria Teresa, remains in the hospital in order to recuperate from surgery she underwent on May 30.
The operation was conducted to replace a shunt in her head for the draining of cerebral spinal fluid. A tube was also inserted into Maria Teresa’s stomach for nutritional support.
“We feel it’s very important that the two girls are together. We will be bringing (Maria de Jesus) all the time to see her sister,” said Cris Embleton, co-founder of Healing the Children.
“We hope Maria Teresa will be released soon,” she said.
Both twins were flown to UCLA from Guatemala by Healing the Children on May 22 when doctors discovered the original shunt in Maria Teresa’s head had become infected with E. coli meningitis.
Earlier in May, Maria de Jesus also experienced a bout of fever followed by convulsions. After being flown to UCLA, she was treated for a minor scalp wound.
The wound is in the process of healing, and doctors decided Maria de Jesus was well enough to be treated as an outpatient. Maria Teresa’s condition will require additional monitoring as she undergoes standard post-operative care before doctors decide when they can release her.
Since the 23-hour separation surgery which occurred on Aug. 6, Maria Teresa has recovered more slowly than her sister and has required three additional surgeries to remove a buildup of blood in her head.
Maria de Jesus is now beginning to talk in both Spanish and English words.
The twins’ parents remain in Guatemala, but Embleton and the nurses caring for the twins contact them every night.
Embleton sends pictures of the girls home to their parents and keeps them updated on their conditions.
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