Online Baby Shower Set for Once Conjoined Twins

With more than 30,000 followers, Carter and Conner Mirabel have been elevated to Facebook star status without ever having gone home from the hospital following their December births.

The star status isn’t all that surprising considering the unusual way the plucky twins entered the world – conjoined at the stomach and sharing a small intestine. Doctors at Jacksonville’s Wolfson Children’s Hospital worked tirelessly in January to perform the first of two required surgeries to separate the boys. The second surgery went off without a hitch last Thursday with both boys now living on their own for the first time ever, Wolfson staff reported on the hospital’s Facebook page.

Although still in the pediatric intensive care unit, the boys, now 5 months old, are expected to go home for the first time ever in as little as one month.

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“A multi-disciplinary team of nearly 200 health care professionals including neonatal and pediatric critical care nurses, pediatric respiratory therapists, rehabilitation therapists, child life specialists, pediatric chaplains and many others were involved in the groundbreaking separation of Carter and Conner, who are recovering in the PICU at Wolfson Children’s Hospital,” the hospital reported.

Elated parents Michelle Brantley and Bryan Mirabal are now preparing for that long-overdue day when they get to bring their sons home.

In response to numerous messages and comments on Facebook asking how people can support the family, the Prayers for Carter & Conner Facebook page has announced a June 14 online baby shower.

“Help us get ready for Carter and Conner’s homecoming,” the event announcement reads. The couple explains that the nursery has never been readied considering the turmoil surrounding the boys’ births and first few months of life.

The family is registered online at Walmart, Target and Babies ‘R’ Us, among other locations. Links to their wish lists are provided on the event announcement.

As for their reaction to the groundbreaking surgery that resulted in the boys’ separations, Michelle explained.

Hearing the words “they’re separate,” she wrote on Facebook “was the most surreal, magical moment I think I will ever experience.”

To keep up with the boy’s progress, follow their Facebook page. To make a direct financial donation to the family, visit the gofundme account that has been established for them.

Photos courtesy of the Wolfson Children’s Hospital Facebook page

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