DAY 3: A GOOD SIGN.Byline: Amy Raisin Staff Writer WESTWOOD - Both twins separated at the skull earlier this week at UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX opened their eyes and responded to stimulation Thursday, a positive sign in the early and still-critical stages after the 22-hour surgery. Maria de Jesus Maria de Jesus dos Santos (born September 10, 1893) is a Portuguese supercentenarian, and, as of August 13, 2007, the second-oldest person in the world. She has been the oldest verified living person in Portugal since the death of fellow 114-year-old Maria do Couto Maia-Lopes on Quiej Alvarez and her year-old twin, Maria Teresa, pulled their hands away from medical staffers when they were touched. Maria de Jesus, the more serious-minded of the twins, has even looked around and has slightly moved her arms and legs. ``(Maria de Jesus is) a little ahead of her sister, but that is not unusual. We remain cautiously optimistic about the long-term prospects of Maria Teresa and Maria de Jesus,'' said Dr. Jorge Lazareff, the twins' chief neurosurgeon neurosurgeon a physician who specializes in neurosurgery. neurosurgeon A surgeon specialized in managing diseases of the brain, spine and peripheral nerves Meat & potatoes diseases Brain tumors, spinal cord disease Salary $245K + 15% bonus. . ``There are still many medical hurdles to cross.'' Following the marathon surgery that ended early Tuesday, the twins were kept under paralysis-inducing drugs, to keep them still. But after doctors withdrew those drugs, Maria de Jesus briefly blinked her eyes. Doctors at Mattel Children's Hospital A children's hospital is a hospital which offers its services exclusively to children. The number of children's hospitals proliferated in the 20th century, as pediatric medical and surgical specialties separated from internal medicine and adult surgical specialties. at the University of California, Los Angeles UCLA comprises the College of Letters and Science (the primary undergraduate college), seven professional schools, and five professional Health Science schools. Since 2001, UCLA has enrolled over 33,000 total students, and that number is steadily rising. , said it was not surprising that Maria de Jesus showed the first signs of lucidity, since surgeons rushed her sister back to the operating room operating room n. Abbr. OR A room equipped for performing surgical operations. nearly five hours after the separation to relieve bleeding on Maria Teresa's brain. While the babies from Guatemala are no longer under medical paralysis, they will remain under sedation Sedation Definition Sedation is the act of calming by administration of a sedative. A sedative is a medication that commonly induces the nervous system to calm. Purpose The process of sedation has two primary intentions. for at least the next few days. Doctors said they hoped to remove the breathing tubes threaded through the girls' noses and down their throats in the next day or two. The Guatemalan twins arrived in June for preliminary tests with the help of Healing the Children, a nonprofit organization Nonprofit Organization An association that is given tax-free status. Donations to a non-profit organization are often tax deductible as well. Notes: Examples of non-profit organizations are charities, hospitals and schools. that facilitates medical services for children across the world. The babies' parents, Wenceslao Quiej Lopez, 21, and 23-year-old Alba Leticia Alvarez, have been staying with relatives in Los Angeles when not visiting their heavily bandaged, still-critical daughters. The two Marias - ``Las Maritas,'' as they've been affectionately named in Guatemala and throughout the Spanish-speaking world - have been receiving nutrients intravenously. Dr. Andy Madikians, the attending physician in the hospital's pediatric pediatric /pe·di·at·ric/ (pe?de-at´rik) pertaining to the health of children. pe·di·at·ric adj. Of or relating to pediatrics. intensive care unit, where the babies are recovering, said the twins will likely begin a more complex diet by today. ``Through the IV, they will get a high concentration of glucose, multivitamins, things you usually get from your diet,'' Madikians said. ``They'll get lipids, extra amounts of sugar and different electrolytes.'' Back in the family's rural village of Belen, Guatemala, relatives and residents were having a feast of their own, as the women prepared fresh tortillas and a traditional sweetened sweet·en v. sweet·ened, sweet·en·ing, sweet·ens v.tr. 1. To make sweet or sweeter by adding sugar, honey, saccharin, or another sweet substance. 2. To make more pleasant or agreeable. rice drink for the celebrants. Speakers blaring traditional music were affixed af·fix tr.v. af·fixed, af·fix·ing, af·fix·es 1. To secure to something; attach: affix a label to a package. 2. on the family's tin roof, located in a village about 125 miles south of Guatemala City. ``I am so happy that they were able to separate them,'' said Loida de Jesus Hernandez, the twins' grandmother. ``Before the operation, we cried when we saw them like that. We suffered for nearly a year.'' The twins, born July 25, 2001, after their mother endured nearly eight days of labor, were joined at the tops of their skulls facing opposite directions. With the success of the rare and complicated surgery, doctors, family and well-wishers across the world are anxious for the sisters to finally see each other. While relatives in Guatemala celebrate the twins' successful separation, many still worry about their quality of life after they return home. ``I never thought they would be able to separate them,'' said the girls' grandfather, Wenceslao Quiej, from Guatemala. ``It looked so difficult, I thought they would stay like that forever. ``Thank God there were specialized doctors,'' he said, adding that he worries about how his son will care for the girls. The twins' father works on a banana plantation for about $64 every three weeks, Quiej said. ``I think the girls might need special care, and they just don't have enough money for that,'' the grandfather said. ``Life won't be easy for them.'' The Associated Press contributed to this story. |
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