Dec 7, 2007 6:40 pm US/Central
Young Twins Get Tandem Kidney Transplants
Girls Both Have Disease That Ruins Kidneys In First 10 Years Of Life
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
Life looks a lot brighter Friday night for Chicago twins who underwent an historic kidney transplant. As CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reports, the operation may finally mean a more normal life for both young girls.
Anji and Nelly Polanco have a lot to smile about. The 10-year-old twins have a new lease on life after receiving kidneys from the same donor.
"I wanted to thank first the people who donated the kidneys, the family, I mean, they suffered a great loss and you know it's a hard decision to make," said the twins' mother, Rachel Dalomba.
Both girls have cystinosis. The condition ruins a person's kidneys within the first 10 years of her life, so the girls needed transplants. Now, the twins have made medical history. Both received kidneys from the same deceased donor, in a simultaneous operation, at Children's Memorial Hospital.
"Say the kidneys didn't work, you were worried that the kidneys wouldn't work in two people. So it's kind of twice the amount of worry as one would normally have," said transplant surgeon Riccardo Superina, M.D.
"We not only want to increase the survival of the patient, but also, we need to think, quality of life and I think, that is the biggest advantage of the kidney transplant," said transplant surgeon Juan Carlos Caicedo, M.D.
The girls were on a waiting list for six months. Before their surgery, the fourth graders spent their days going between dialysis and school and taking constant naps because of their medication for cystinosis. Their new kidneys will not be affected by the condition because the donor didn't have it. But they'll still need to take medicine to control the problem from affecting their other organs.
"I can imagine things getting a little easier," Dalomba said. "I can kind of get a taste of what it might be like as a normal mom."
The twins are in stable condition. They should be heading home by the middle of next week.
They'll require lifelong medication to make sure their bodies don't reject their new kidneys. Live in the control room.
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