SENATOR KLEIN HONORS MONTEFIORE SURGICAL TEAM THAT SEPARATED CONJOINED TWINS

Members of the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Were Presented with Resolution for Separating Conjoined Twins Anias and Jadon McDonald

Albany, NY – Senators Jeff Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester) and  David Valesky (D-Syracuse), Senate Health Committee Vice-Chairman, honored the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore’s team of surgeons, doctors and nurses for successfully separating craniopagus conjoined twins Anias and Jadon with a Legislative Resolution on the Senate floor today. The team, made up of approximately 50 highly-skilled medical professionals and led by renowned neurosurgeon Dr. James T. Goodrich, included  Dr. Oren Tepper, Dr. Joaquim Farinhas, and nurse practitioner Kamilah A. Dowling, among many others.

The McDonald twins are the seventh pair of craniopagus conjoined twins Dr. James T. Goodrich and the team at CHAM have separated with various surgical teams around the world and the second ever in The Bronx. Dr. Goodrich is widely considered a leading expert on this immensely complicated procedure, however, this particular case proved to be the most challenging because of the degree at which the boys brains were intertwined.

Anias and Jason McDonald were conjoined at the brain and skull when they were born near Chicago and traveled all the way to The Bronx to receive care. At just thirteen months old, the twins underwent a harrowing and awe-inspiring 27-hour surgery that has given them a chance to live relatively healthy lives. Despite the challenges of the surgery, the McDonald twins made history and surprised many experts with the fastest recovery times ever with a procedure of this nature.

“I am so proud of the level of innovation, professionalism and expertise that exists at Montefiore, right here in my backyard in The Bronx. Doctors Safyer, Goodrich and Tepper are truly leading the way in the healthcare field through a constant quest for advancement and they are proving it with every life they save, like those of Anias and Jadon. Thanks to this wonderful team at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, the McDonald boys will share the inseparable bond of twins through happy separate lives,” said Senator Klein.

“The incredibly talented team at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore is a perfect example of the high-quality health care that can be found in New York. Today reminds us of the lives we can change when we continue to invest in our hospitals and improve the delivery of care for our residents throughout the state. I am thrilled to stand with Senator Klein in congratulating this group of professionals,” said Senator Valesky.

“We are humbled and grateful that our friends in the Legislature are recognizing our work today. This operation represents the best of what Montefiore is and does. The separation of Jadon and Anias required teamwork on every level, along with clinical excellence and expertise, innovative research, and a profound commitment to the entire McDonald family,” said Steven Safyer M.D., President & CEO of Montefiore Medical Center.

Through the use of cutting edge, three-dimensional imaging of the boys’ brains and skulls, the surgical and medical teams were able to carefully plan each step of the highly complex procedure well in advance.

The story of such a medical feat and the inspiring story of the McDonald twins captured an audience of millions around the globe and many continue to watch the progress of the two.