Separated Twins "Ahead Of Schedule"
WHITFIELD: Last month CNN got an exclusive look at the surgery that separated conjoined twins. Jadon and Anias McDonald were connected at the head and the world has been captivated by their story. CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, caught up with the family to see how the twins are recovering.</s>GUPTA (voice-over): When Nicole McDonald got to hold her son, Jadon, for the first time, it was as if she saw him for the first time.</s>NICOLE MCDONALD, MOTHER OF JADON AND ANIAS: As a mother you know when you hold your child, you know every bit of their face, his face also encompassed to Anias is. So my first moment of relearning his face.</s>GUPTA: Jadon and Anias are literally one in 2.5 million. They were born craniopagus twins, conjoined at the head, sharing between 1.5 inches to 2 inches of brain tissue. After over a year of planning, last month the boys were separated after a 27-hour long operation at Children's Hospital in the Bronx. The McDonalds have allowed CNN to follow their journey from surgery through rehab exclusively. (on camera): Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. Hey, buddy. Hi! The last time we are in this room, they are on a --</s>MCDONALD: They were in one bed.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You stick your tongue out at me.</s>MCDONALD: That's a new trick.</s>GUPTA (voice-over): For the McDonalds this entire month has been full of first times. The first time in separate beds. First time being held, first time seeing each other, but it has not been easy to get here. The boys have battled infections, fevers, and seizures. It's been particularly trying for Anias.</s>MCDONALD: Serious infections close to the brain. Skin involvement, they had to take, you know the bone out of Anias. They had to take skin out, for Anias, there is never a break.</s>GUPTA: Despite all of that, the boys' doctors are so brazed with their progress. Dr. James Goodrich is the boys' neurosurgeon. (on camera): You said he was right or ahead of schedule even. Is there a schedule because it is so rare.</s>DR. JAMES GOODRICH, NEUROSURGEION, THE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL AT MONTEFORE MEDICAL CENTER: They are just dealing with traumatic cases, people with injuries. Recovery times in months and sometimes years. We're at a month. This is one month out, this to me is incredibly fast.</s>GUPTA: Do you feel like you have permission or do you allow yourself now to think about the future with regard to Jadon and Anias?</s>MCDONALD: I think about their future all the time. I think about the first time they go to a park, and getting married someday. And I thought through their whole future 100 times.</s>CHRISTIAN MCDONALD, FATHER OF JADON AND ANIAS: It's not that I'm not optimistic, I guess, I'm just more curious what the future holds for them, but I guess I don't want to get my hopes up. I just take it one day at a time.</s>GUPTA (voice-over): But each day continues to bring more blessings. The day I visited, Nicole and Christian got to see Jadon without his head dressings for the first time. (on camera): What's that like? First time without the dressings.</s>NICOLE MCDONALDS: It is amazing. It's the most amazing thing, I can't believe it, look at his little hair on top growing in. So when I see them laying in their beds whole, and generally healthy, and I think mentally with it, and moving forward, I don't just see that miracle, that separation miracle, but the miracles that took place every step of the way.</s>GUPTA: Fred, I think the images speak for themselves. It really brings a smile to my face, I'm sure yours as well. What you've seen is incredibly rare, one in 2.5 million pregnancies result in babies conjoined at the head. A smaller percentage making it all the way to delivery and even smaller percentage making it up to the age of 2. Then these boys have the incredible resources of a place like Montefore Hospital. Obviously many children don't have that. This separation is incredibly rare for all those reason and the doctor who performed the operation, the world's expert in this area said this was the most challenging separation he's ever done and now still one of the most rapid recoveries he's ever seen. So some good news in there. Fred, next stop for the boys will be rehabilitation. They are going to learn to sit up and learn to crawl and learn to walk. They are going to learn all of the other things they would have learned had they not been conjoined. In many ways it's a second birthday for them and they get a second shot at things. Fred, back to you.</s>WHITFIELD: That is so sweet. So uplifting. Thank you so much, Dr. Sanjay Gupta for bringing us the incredible story. We'll be right back.