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Born on July 25, 2001, Maria Teresa
and Maria de Jesus Quiej Alvarez are conjoined twin sisters and the
first children born to Wenceslao Quiej and Alba Leticia Alvarez.
Their mother indicates that she experienced a normal pregnancy, but,
as many women in rural areas, did not receive any prenatal care.
During her eight days of labor,
Mrs. Alvarez was initially attended at home by a midwife, but when
the midwife realized it was a complicated delivery, she referred the
family to a private clinic in their area.
When clinic staff realized the
mother was having twins, they performed a C-section. Much to
everyone’s surprise, they saw that the babies were fused at the top
of their heads. At birth, the twins weighed 4.4 pounds. Because of
the babies’ condition, the clinic transferred them to Guatemala’s
Social Security hospital. The girls lived there until they were
brought to UCLA.
Healing The Children, a nonprofit
group that helps find medical care for children in underdeveloped
countries, approached Dr. Jorge Lazareff, one of its volunteer
neurosurgeons, for help in accepting the twins’ cases. Led by
Lazareff and UCLA plastic-reconstructive surgeon Dr. Henry Kawamoto
Jr., a UCLA physician team is donating its services to the twins’
care. Still, nursing, hospitalization and additional medical
expenses are expected to cost the hospital upwards of $1.5 million.
To help donate to the twins’ care,
please send checks payable to the UCLA Foundation to:
“Twins Care at UCLA” Fund
UCLA Medical Sciences Development
10945 Le Conte Avenue, Suite 3132
Los Angeles, CA 90095 |
Calls or email may be directed to:
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