A Dream Come True: Parents Of Conjoined Twins Speak About Successful Procedure
“It’s been a long journey to get here,” the girls' mother said. “The moment we knew we had conjoined twins, we wanted to get them to this place where they can still have an individual life and still be together. That dream came true Tuesday.”
Sacramento Bee:
Stanford Doctors Describe Conjoined Twins' Separation Surgery
Mixing hard medical facts with light-hearted humor, surgeons for conjoined twins Erika and Eva Sandoval recounted details Thursday of the risky and intricate surgery that cleaved the girls in two. Two days after the girls were wheeled into surgery at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, veteran pediatric surgeon Dr. Gary Hartman called the 17-hour separation a success and said the 2-year-olds are “recovering quite well.” He made his first public comments at a packed news conference with four other members of the 50-person medical team. (Caiola and Buck, 12/8)
In other news from across the state —
The Bakersfield Californian:
Pop-Up Valley Fever Clinic Offers Specialty Care To Kids
[F]inding a pediatrician who specializes in infectious diseases, like valley fever, isn’t easy in Bakersfield, despite the fact that more people breathe in cocci spores in Kern County than anywhere else statewide, health officials say...That’s why Valley Children’s launched a pop-up clinic once a month in Bakersfield where doctors who specialize in the disease can treat kids. It’s been so successful that hospital officials are planning to host more pop-ups in Kern County, said Nael Mhaissen, an infectious disease specialist who works in the clinic. (Pierce, 12/8)
The Mercury News:
Wish Book: Asthma Camp Teaches Kids They Can Still Play, Exercise
Theresa Perry hesitated at first to send her son Michael to a weeklong summer camp geared toward helping kids learn how to manage their asthma... The educational camp, held one week every summer at Mayfair Community Center in partnership with the City of San Jose, is geared to help teach kids with techniques to manage their disease. The curriculum includes helping kids understand the different aspects of the disease, recognize the triggers of attacks, know how and when to take their medication and learn how to talk to teachers, coaches and other adult caregivers about their needs related to asthma. (Gomez, 12/8)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Sonoma County Parents, Farmers Lobby State Over Pesticide Use Near Schools
Lobbying groups have been making last-minute pitches to an obscure state agency on an issue that has ramifications throughout the state and particularly in Sonoma County: To what length should farmers go to protect schoolchildren from sprayed pesticides? The state Department of Pesticide Regulation has proposed a rule that would ban pesticide applications within a quarter-mile of schools and day care centers on weekdays between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Comments are due Friday and the department has received about 500 from various groups, said spokeswoman Charlotte Fadipe....Parents and anti-pesticide advocates tend to believe the proposal should crack down harder on spraying. Ag groups that include grape growers fear the regulation is overreach, not supported by science. (Swindell, 12/8)