Earlier this year, a group of trailblazing Long Island doctors operated on triplets born with craniosynostosis , a rare condition in which a child’s skull fuses too early in utero. The surgery was the first of its kind, and doctors estimated the chance of this happening to triplets to be one in 500 trillion.
“It was really extremely scary thinking about your 8- or 9-week-old baby going through surgery,” the triplets’ mother, Amy Howard, 38, told WCBS-TV.
The Howards’ case is particularly rare because only two of the boys are identical.
“We worked out the probability of maybe one in 500 trillion to see a set of triplets the looked like these three,” Dr. David Chesler, Stony Brook Medicine, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, told WCBS.
The surgery took place in January at Stony Brook University Hospital. Doctors were able to successfully manipulate the boys’ skulls in such a way that would allow for healthy brain growth and restore their structure to a more “normal” shape.
Just three months later, the Howard triplets — Hunter, Jackson, and Kaden — are happy, healthy, and for the moment, helmeted.
The boys will have to wear helmets for the next few months of recovery, but beyond that, they should all be able to live normal lives.
#LongIsland triplets undergo surgery at @stonybrookkids for rare skull condition: https://t.co/lplMRchqrj @Newsday pic.twitter.com/Ty58qqKNiL
— Stony Brook Medicine (@StonyBrookMed) May 2, 2017
“They don’t mind the helmets, the surgery went great, I don’t even think they really were in too much pain,” Amy Howard said. “That was my main concern — was it going to cause brain damage? Or, I was worried about Kaden’s eye sight, but it all turned out great.”
—
Other Must-Read Stories:
—UPDATE: Texas Parents Meet Hero Who Risked His Life to Save Their Children From Raging Flood
—Former Terrorist, Drug Trafficker-Turned-Pastor is Restoring Hope in Mexico
—Arkansas Death Row Inmate Gets Surprising Parting Gift From Victims’ Family