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.