Ericana and Eludi with their mother |
Life is full of struggles, challenges and pain for all us.
But unfortunately for some people, the struggle is greater. In Tanzania, for
two male babies - Ericana and Eludi, the struggle had began with their birth. They were born as
pygopagus twins which means that they are conjoined at the buttocks. Since their birth, their mother has
been struggling to get them separated and lead a healthy life. The pain
suffered by the twins and their mother is unspeakable and unimaginable.
But
thankfully, the babies can now be said to be in safe hands. The mother had
learnt about Apollo healthcare, one of the most efficient and trust names in
modern healthcare today, and came to the Apollo Hospital in Chennai with her
two beautiful babies and with her trust and hope.
The
Apollo Hospital, on its part, is also doing its best. This case is one of the
most challenging cases that not only Apollo but that the world has seen. Conjoined
twins is a rare condition and most of the babies with this condition are either
still-born or die soon after birth. This specific condition of conjoining at
the buttocks known as pygopagus is even more rare. It is also generally found
more in females. Till now, only 4 male pygopagus twins have been reported. So
this case is definitely one of the rarest and the most difficult. But Apollo is
doing all that it can to ensure a normal and healthy life for the babies. For
this case, Apollo has appointed a team of 20 doctors from the specialties of neurosurgery, plastic surgery,
paediatric surgery and pediatric urology. They have also sought the guidance of
Dr. Edward Kiely – Paediatric Surgeon and Dr. Richard Howard –
Anaesthesiologist both from Great Ormond Street Hospital in London for the safe
separation. Apollo has been taking care of the babies for 5 months now and on
16th, it will conduct the most important stage i.e. the separation surgery.
But Apollo has not just been giving them medical care, it has also given
the babies and their mother an emotional support. The nurses have developed a
bond with the babies. The nurses have nicknamed the babies as 'Ammukutty’ and ‘Chellakutty’.
In turn, the babies have also bonded with the nurses. They and their mother have
also picked up a few tamil words. But this is not new about Apollo. Apollo has
not just been one of the world's most efficient health-care provider, it is
actually a "care-taker" and of not just the patients but of the
society. Apollo has many social initiatives like Disha, SACHi, SAHI, CURE and
other initiatives to care for everyone, irrespective of their economic and
social profile. Infact, the babies' mother had learnt about Apollo because of
its presence through the Save a child's heart initiative of SACHi in Tanzania.