Texas’
First Lady Visits the Twins
(see the images section for photos)
Anita Perry, the First Lady of Texas, paid a special visit
to Ahmed and Mohamed Feb. 3 while at Medical City Dallas Hospital.
This was Mrs. Perry’s second visit with the boys. She also visited
briefly them in August 2002, prior to their separation surgery.
Mrs. Perry, who was attending a program celebrating the hospital’s
achievement of Magnet Recognition status, spent nearly 20 minutes
with the boys, their parents, craniofacial surgeon Dr. Kenneth Salyer
and hospital caregivers. Mrs. Perry, who is often referred to as the
“First Nurse of Texas,” worked in healthcare as a pediatric
nurse for 17 years.
During her visit, the boys were undergoing a typical physical therapy
session in the Child Life Playroom. The boys, who are both talking
now, took turns demonstrating their bowling skills to the delight
of Mrs. Perry and other visitors in her group. Mohamed proudly took
a walk with the aid of his therapist, then both boys settled into
the First Lady’s lap for a “photo opportunity.”
During her remarks at the ceremony later that morning, Mrs. Perry
praised the work of the team of doctors and nurses at Medical City
for their excellent care and rehabilitation of Ahmed and Mohamed.
After a 33-hour surgery successfully separates Ahmed and Mohamed Ibrahim,
the twins continue their remarkable road to recovery.
The pace of Ahmed and Mohamed Ibrahim’s progress following their
marathon separation surgery Oct. 11-12 continues to surprise and please
all of us who are involved in their care. They are being fitted with
special protective headgear, designed and donated by Cranial Technologies
of Phoenix, Ariz. Biomet Warsaw and Lorenz Surgical are teaming up
with Dr. Kenneth E. Salyer, Dr. David Genecov, Dr. Christine Carman
and Dr. Carlos Raul Barcelo to design cranial implants for the twins.
The reconstructive surgery is scheduled for April. Biomet is donating
the design work, as well as the implants, not only for the science
aspect of the project, but the humanitarian effort involved. The information
we learn from this process will help not only our twins, but all future
craniofacial patients as well.
The twins returned to North Texas Hospital for Children Nov. 13, less
than five weeks following the surgery at Children’s Medical
Center. From the very beginning, their recovery from the surgery and
their rehabilitation progress has been remarkable.
The boys immediately recognized their surroundings when they returned
“home” from CMC. Within minutes of returning, both of
them were smiling and giggling as they recognized familiar faces and
remembered the little games their caregivers had played with them.
It was a happy and emotional homecoming for everyone involved.
Since then, the two toddlers have each been progressing at their own
rate. Because they spent the first 28 months of their lives unable
to do many of the normal activities that infants and toddlers engage
in, the boys are learning about their new physical capabilities.
They undergo intensive physical, occupational, speech and play therapy
several times a day. They are spending more time together as their
recovery progresses, which makes them happy and helps to motivate
them. Senior physical therapist Jacob Makkappellil, who works with
the boys daily, says the boys enjoy their therapy sessions, and laugh
and play with their therapists. The physical therapists are working
on building their muscle tone and strength, especially those muscles
that were largely unused while they were conjoined.
Mohamed is now sitting and holding his head erect without assistance,
and is standing with some assist. Mr. Makkappellil says Mohamed was
happy and excited to be standing up, but that he takes every new accomplishment
in stride. “He gets used to things very quickly,” Mr.
Makkappellil says. Mohamed is being fitted for ankle braces so that
he can begin to learn to walk.
Mohamed has been enjoying trips to the pediatric physical therapy
room, where he swings, plays on a balance ball and works on building
strength, stamina and balance. Ahmed is sitting up with minimal assist
and holding his head erect without assistance for several minutes
at a time. He recently began accompanying his brother to the physical
therapy room to begin some of the same exercises. Both boys are tolerating
therapy very well, which is the goal.
They also are undergoing speech therapy. Mohamed is learning more
words and phrases in both English and Arabic. Now that he’s
feeling better, Ahmed has starting saying a few words and his doctors
believe that he will soon be talking along with Mohamed.
The boys are both very engaged in their therapies. “Ahmed is
making a lot of progress with the concept that toys are for fun and
can be played with,” says child life therapist Linda Biesanz.
“They both are learning more about the qualities of toys, how
to play and how to explore their environment. They are seeing, touching
and exploring things they couldn’t do before. It’s really
exciting to see.”
Both of the boys are very curious, she says. “They are constantly
wanting to grow and learn-and we are constantly challenged to keep
ahead of them. Mohamed is very outgoing and loves noise and physical
activity. Ahmed is quieter and gentler. He likes music and songs like’
Old MacDonald’. He loves to make the animal sounds. He is very
focused on touch. Both boys laugh and giggle and love to play games.”
Their parents, Ibrahim and Sabah Gad, participate in all aspects of
the twins’ care, and are excited about the changes they are
seeing in their boys every day.
“They are just two little toddlers, each moving at his own pace,”
says Dr. David Genecov. “Mohamed is a little ahead of schedule.
These are two individual children who require different types of care,
different rates of care and different plans of care. They need to
be treated as individuals and approached as individuals, while remembering
that they are twins. What is normal for one may not be normal for
the other. They progress at separate levels just like any other children.”
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