TT twins on the up after surgery in Canada

The boys’ mother, 24-year-old Leslie Lopez-Sookoo, yesterday told Newsday she was "grateful and relieved" having raised the money needed for them to get specialised surgery in Canada in May and June after months of appeals.

The boys were born on June 1 last year with anal atresia, a congenital obstruction of the anal opening, which occurs in one in 5,000 infants. They underwent surgery at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt Hope the very next day. A colonic biopsy and sigmoid loop colostomy were performed, which involved bringing the end of the large intestine to the surface of the abdomen. A stoma (a passage created in which the end of the bowel protrudes through the abdominal wall) allowed them to pass urine and stool into a pouch. They regularly got minor infections and had to be constantly supervised because of their condition.

Last December, Leslie and her husband Ruston began a public appeal to raise funds for surgery after they received a medical report last November from a doctor at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex advising that due to "instrumentation and apparatus limitation," they should have surgery performed abroad. After raising thousands of dollars, arrangements were made with the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

Speaking to Newsday at the family’s home in Santa Cruz, Lopez-Sookoo said the surgeries in Canada were performed by Dr Jacob Langer. The first was on May 9 and took three hours to create an opening in the anus for each child. "They did really well over the following weeks."

There was a six-week interval before the second surgery — the closing of the colostomy, was attempted.

It took two hours for each baby and proved to be "a little more difficult" than the surgeon had anticipated. Lopez-Sookoo said she had faith in the skill of the surgeon because he separated Nigerian twins who were joined at the liver.

However, the boys’ recovery also was not as fast. "The surgery knocked them down a bit they lost weight, refused to eat. Tariq got an infection."

Despite the setbacks, Leslie said the surgeries were "for the better." The twins spent a total of four months in Canada during which time their teeth grew and they learnt to walk and talk. The surgeries cost approximately Cdn$80,000.

"I am totally grateful to everyone who made it possible, especially God."

Lopez-Sookoo said the boys sometimes put their finger on the spot where they had the colostomy.

"They are not as irritable as they used to be. I feel more at ease to leave them unsupervised for a few minutes. Before I had to constantly watch them because they would pull the colostomy bag and make a mess. They are happier. Anyone can see that."

Leslie said the boys would be easy to potty train. "They are so unaccustomed to not having stool in the pampers that as soon as they pass stool they want to take if off." However, one drawback is that their skin is very sensitive and they have been getting blisters. Lopez-Sookoo said she uses the colostomy products to treat the irritation.