Formerly conjoined twin sisters Erika and Eva Sandoval are recovering nicely from their Dec. 6 separation surgery at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford. The sisters, now aged 2½, are making good progress in their physical, occupational and psychological therapies and getting closer to the day when they'll both be able to return to the family's home in Antelope, California. As the hospital reported this week:
“They’re doing great,” said surgeon Gary Hartman, MD, who led the 50-person team that separated the sisters. Erika is well enough that she was released from the hospital on Monday, February 13. She is now staying nearby with her parents and continuing to receive physical therapy and occupational therapy at the hospital.
“It’s happening,” mother Aida Sandoval said as she walked with Erika in her arms through the hospital and readied her daughter for her first ride in a regular car seat. “It’s surreal to be taking her out of the hospital for the first time as an individual.”
More than 100 Packard Children's staff have now cared for Eva and Erika, who were born at Packard Children's in 2014 and stayed at the hospital for 6 months as infants. In their current hospital stay after their separation, they've become close to many of their caregivers, as the video above of Erika saying goodbye to several of her nurses demonstrates.
Previously: From one, to two: The separation of the conjoined Sandoval twins, in photos, Conjoined twins successfully separated at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford and Twins update: Formerly conjoined twins strong and healthy
Photo in featured entry box courtesy of Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford
