Dec 17, 2007 4:32 pm US/Eastern
Childrens' Miracle Surgery Saves Unborn Twins
by Lisa Hughes
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
A Methuen family's babies were saved by surgery before they were born thanks to Children's Hospital Boston, which is at the forefront of a new health field.
After a serious problem was discovered before Broderick and Bryce Villers were born and nearly took their lives.
The red flag went up when ultrasounds discovered that one twin was much smaller than the other.
"Which is not normal for identical twins," said Dr. Rusty Jennings.
Jennings heads the Advanced Fetal Care Center at Children's Hospital Boston, one of only four in the country treating babies in the womb.
"What most people don't know is when you have identical twins they have one blood supply," Jennings said.
That blood supply was unbalanced, so each twin received the wrong amount of blood. In a high-risk operation, Jennings divided the blood vessels so each fetus received a healthy supply. It was the first time the surgery was done at Children's.
"Without the procedure, one or both of them would have died," he said.
"We're just so fortunate to be so close right here," said the boys' mother, Stephanie Villers. "To be the first ones to have the surgery."
The Fetal Care Center is also engaged in cutting edge research that one day could lead to breakthroughs in pre-natal care.
But for Stephanie and Ernie Villers, the miracle has already happened.
"I never take a day with them for granted because you never know what's going to happen day to day," Ernie Villers said.
"I hope that it inspires them to think, 'Wow, I'm pretty lucky to be here. I better do something good while I'm here,'" Stephanie Villers said.
Children's hospital has established the world's first center for fetal health. The mission -- nothing less than finding out why things go wrong before birth and devising treatments to correct the problems.
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