These Twins Had Different Faces Until A Groundbreaking Surgery

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In 1997, expectant mother Ramona Cooper was faced with the most difficult decision.

She already knew that she was expecting twins, but an ultrasound revealed an unexpected birth defect. One of her twin boys would be born with Pierre Robin syndrome, a facial disfigurement that affects an estimated 1 in 10,000 children.

Ramona brought her pregnancy to term and raised her sons, Gabriel and Haidin—it wasn’t easy, but the family stayed strong. Now, at 19 years old, Gabriel is living out a new chapter of his life.

Read on to learn more about the Cooper family and the outcome of Gabriel’s plastic surgery.

 

14. The Most Difficult Decision

001-14-the-most-difficult-decision-ce1e8a1bda3192db9ecc87dde26bdc6eThrough an ultrasound, doctors discovered that one of Ramona’s twin boys had Pierre Robin syndrome, giving him an underdeveloped jaw. Ramona was given the option to terminate Gabriel.

“I had to think for two months about keeping him,” she said. Significant medical problems affect babies born with this syndrome, including major difficulties in breathing and feeding.