Formerly conjoined twins make strides in Indiana
KNOX, Ind. (CNN) – Two formerly conjoined brothers who call Indiana home are now 3 years old and making amazing strides.
Their parents said Jadon and Anias McDonald, since the boys had separation surgery in 2016, have had downs and plenty of ups.
After two years, Nicole and Christian McDonald decided to leave New York – the city they adopted to help care for their boys – and return home to the Midwest.
It meant big changes for everyone. The biggest changes of all though were the boys.
Three-year-old Jadon is starting to read. But, as with most stories, along with victories came defeats.
With conjoined twins, there is almost always one that is more dominant and one at a greater disadvantage. In this case, that’s Anias.
Nicole said, “That’s where I kind of fell apart this year (2018) because the child that hit so many walls before and you just want him to fly you know and he’s still stuck on the ground.”
Father Christian said, “In this day and age, we’re kind of a quantum leap society. We want quick fixes and, if it doesn’t happen quick, then we almost get discouraged and think that it can’t happen. But, you know we really need to understand that amazing things can happen, and Anias can do amazing things and will do amazing things.”
But, even Anias has made gains. He no longer needs any of the machinery that was used to monitor him. He’s starting to be a kid again and playing with his toys.
It’s hard to believe that just 2 years ago, Anias and Jadon were connected.
And amazingly, Nicole and Christian are now more connected than ever.
Christian said, “I think we’re getting stronger and better every day. I mean, I guess they say, you know, sometimes difficult circumstances. You go through the fire, you come out stronger on the other side and I think that’s definitely true for us. It’s definitely made us better as a couple.. “
Nicole said, “this forced us into family. I’ve gained so much respect for him through the process and the dad that he is and then in the way that he’s been able to support me but we also have to remember that we’re not done. You know our future has a lot more.”