Twin Babies Go Home After Heart Treatment

Twin babies who came here from Arizona 11 months ago for lifesaving heart treatment have returned home _ one with a new organ and the other, miraculously, with his original heart beating perfectly well.

"There were a lot of times when we did not anticipate this result," their father, Mike Draper, said Thursday as he and his wife packed up their belongings. "Early on, we were concerned that both boys might not make it even a few weeks. Now, to go home together? We've come full circle."

Nick and Nate Draper were born last July in Phoenix with a condition called dilated cardiomyopathy, which caused their hearts to swell and barely pump blood. Doctors at UCLA Medical Center's Mattel Children's Hospital quickly concluded they both needed heart transplants.

Nick received a new heart in February but Nate grew lethargic and weak while on the transplant list. But for reasons that still baffle his doctors, he suddenly recovered and his heart began beating as strongly as any healthy organ.

"I've never seen anything like what happened," said Juan Alejos, the cardiologist in charge of the twins' care.

The twins and their parents still face numerous challenges, including numerous weekly medical appointments, eight daily medications for Nick and 15 for Nate. Additionally, tests show Nate is blind, although his doctors and family believe his eyes and brain could reconnect once he is home. Both might eventually need new hearts.

Their parents, however, are optimistic.

"It's not just a miracle that we have seen, with these two boys surviving like this, but it is several miracles," Mike Draper said.

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Information from: Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com