Ahmed & Mohamed – Egypt
CHECK OUT Ahmed & Mohamed’s Latest Appearance on Good Morning America with Dr. Salyer and Diane Sawyer!
Click HERE: Conjoined Twins: 8 Years Later
ALSO, check out these additional links for more information about Ahmed and Mohamed:
Fox 4 – Thursday, September 17, 2009
http://www.myfoxdfw.com/dpp/health/OnceConjoined_Twins_Return_to
Business Journal – Thursday, September 17, 2009
http://dallas.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2009/09/14/daily47.html
Dallas Morning News – Thursday, September 17, 2009
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/091709dnmettwins.187c606e6.html
Ahmed and Mohamed, Before Surgery
Photo by the Dallas Morning News
Ahmed & Mohamed Ibrahim’s Timeline
1. June 22, 2002: In the glare of international media attention, 1-year old Ahmed and Mohamed Ibrahim travel from Egypt to medical City Children’s. Here they will undergo months of tests and evaluation to see if separation is possible. The boys spent the first year of their lives as patients in the University of Cairo Abu el-Reesh Hopsital under 24/7 medical care.
2. December 2002: Based on the father’s desire to see his sons separated in the hope that they can have a normal life, the surgeons and medical ethicists agree to move forward in the extensive prepareations and planning for surgery.
3. April 2003: To insure the wounds from the separation surgery have sufficient tissue coverage to prevent infection, the boys must undergo a six-hour tissue expansion surgery. Balloon-like pouches that are frlat when inserted under the skin on their heads are filled with small amounts of fluid each week. As the espanders inflate, the skin is stretched. A few days before tissue expansion surgery, the boys model the specially designed airbed, headgear and vests that were created to protect the expanding tissue.
4. April 28, 2003: Naglaa Mahmoud and Wafaa dardir, the nurses who have cared for them since birth, carry the boys into the tissue expansion surgery.
5. May 2003: Members of the medical team check the progress of the tissue expansion.
6. June 2, 2003: The boys celebrate their 2nd birthday as patients at Medical City Children’s.
7. October 4, 2003: Sabah Abu el-Wafa has been separated from her sons since their birth. She arrives in Dallas in time to spend a few days with them before the separation surgery.
8. October 9, 2003: Ahmed and Mohamed are transported from Medical City Children’s to Children’s Medical Center, where separation surgery is scheduled for October 11.
9. October 10, 2003: Members of the craniofacial surgery team do a last check of the boys’ skull models before the surgery.
10. Specially Designed rotating operating tables encase the boys during surgery, allowing the surgeons easier access to the surgery site. Doctors credit the operating tables, medical models, and other one-of-a-kind devices with contributing to the successful outcome of the surgery.
October 11-12, 2004: Media from around the world converge on dallas to await the outcome of the 34 hour surgery, which started early Saturday and came to a successful conclusion Sunday afternoon. That same evening, the NBC network news magazine “Dateline” features a story on the boys.
11. November 18, 2004: Back at medical City Children’s following the separation surgery, the boys begin their physical therapy session s urrounded by his therapist, Jacob Makkappallil, mother Sabah, father Ibrahim, older brother Mahmoud and Sally Fryer of Intergrated Pediatric Therapy.
12. November 18, 2004: The family assists with Mohamed’s therapy session.
13. December 2003: The boys enjoy their physical therapy and the attention of their therapist and their dad.
14. December 2003: Sabah spends a quiet moment with Ahmed.
15. January 2004: The family sits for a portait with Dr. kenneth E. Salyer, their craniofacial surgeon and the person responsible for bringing the bows to Dallas. From left are mother Sabah holding Mohamed, Ahmed in the arms of Dr. Salyer, father Ibrahim and brother Mahmoud.
16. February 2004: First Lady of Texas Anita Perry, who is a nurse, visits with the boys while at Medical City for the Magnet Recognition ceremony.
17. June 2, 2004: The boys celebrate their 3rd birthday during a break in their physical therapy regimen. Sue Blackwood, left, executive director of the World Craniofacial Foundation, savors the celebration. Blackwood has helped care for the boys since they came to Dallas two years earlier. Dr. Salyer joins the party, along with their mother and physical therapists.
18. July 2004 – January 2005: As the months progress, the boys continue to show amazing progress. Mohammed walks without aid; Ahmed uses a walker to get around.
19. June 4, 2005: The boys pass their 4th birthday as outpatients at Medical City Children’s. Mohamed works out in therapy with an assist from his mom.
20. September 9, 2005: Swinging is not only fun, especially with your twin brother – it also assists in gaining balance and dexterity.
Ahmed & Mohammed Graduate!
WCF has been directing and moitoring Ahmed and Mohamed’s care since their return to Cairo, Egypt, in November 2005. They boys enrolled in school classes to facilitate their special needs, and their physcial therapy routine continues on a daily basis, along with ongoing medical care. WCF is thrilled to share with you that both boys graduated Kindergarten in May 2008, and Mohamed has moved into mainstream classes. Both boys have grown and their unique personalities continue to develop.
More on Ahmed & Mohamed Ibrahim:
