Conjoined twins that were separated in June are going home to North Carolina for Thanksgiving, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia announced Monday.
Abby and Erin Delaney, who were joined at the head when they were born July 24, 2016, were separated by a team of physicians in an 11-hour surgery on June 6, the hospital said. Doctors said in the hospital statement that the girls will need additional surgeries as they grow older.
"The girls are inspiring," Heather Delaney, the mother of the twins, said in the hospital statement. "As their parents, it is very neat for Riley and me to have a front-row seat to this and watch them overcome these incredible obstacles. We cannot wait to see what their future holds.
"The team at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has become like family. Riley and I are so grateful for the care our girls have received here and so excited to take them home — just in time for the holidays," Delaney added.
The surgery on the Delaney twins was one of the earliest separations of craniopagus — the least common type of conjoined twins — ever recorded, reconstructive surgeon Dr. Jesse Taylor said in a statement, according to People magazine.
"We know that children heal better and faster the younger they are, therefore our goal for Erin and Abby was separation as soon as possible with minimum number of surgeries," Taylor added in the statement.
According to a blog kept by Heather Delaney, Erin was discharged from the hospital on Oct. 1 and stayed at the Ronald McDonald House while Abby continued to receive treatment.
Both were discharged on Monday to join their first holiday season in North Carolina.
"Nearly five months after separation, we are happy to announce that both Erin and Abby Delaney are doing well as they continue to recover from this very complex surgery," neurosurgeon Dr. Gregory Heuer, who co-led a multidisciplinary team alongside Taylor, said in a statement last month.
"Now we are working on trying to buy a house and give these girls all the things they deserve," Heather Delaney said in her blog last month. "They still have a long road ahead of them with more surgery to happen most likely in the spring."
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