Formerly conjoined twins Ahmed and Mohamed Ibrahim were transferred Thursday night from the hospital where they underwent a 34-hour separation surgery more than a month ago.
Doctors say the 2-year-old Egyptian boys, who were joined at the top of their heads, have made remarkable strides since being separated on Oct. 12.
“So many things that could’ve gone awry didn’t,” said Dr. James Thomas, chief of critical care services at Children’s Medical Center.
The boys were moved from Children’s Medical Center Dallas to North Texas Hospital for Children at Medical City Dallas Hospital late Thursday — blowing kisses and giving high fives as they prepared to leave.
“They were saying ’bye-bye’ to us,” said Kenneth Shapiro, a neurosurgeon. “That means an awful lot to us. We expect that they’re going to get stronger each day.”
Their father, Ibrahim Mohammed Ibrahim, said Thursday that he would love for his boys to be able to walk when he takes them back to Egypt.
“The brain cannot believe it,” he said through a translator at a news conference Thursday. “But it’s a really, really happy feeling.”
Doctors say that although they’ve made significant progress, the boys still have a long way to go — including reconstructive surgery to replace their skulls and rehabilitation.
“It’s hard to understand how normal or close to normal they are going to be,” Shapiro said.
