Personal Stories

Double Heart Transplant for Infant Twins

New York Post Features Twins on Sunday, June 10.

When Sharon Harper found out she was carrying twins, she cried for joy. "My husband, Charles, was ecstatic when we found out," she said, "because he knew I had always wanted twins." Born September 10, 2000 after an easy labor, Tiana and Briana arrived four minutes apart, two happy, healthy girls. They received a warm welcome home from their two-year-old brother, Jeremiah, and the many relatives and friends who were on hand to help out. The only glitch was a post-partum illness that landed Mrs. Harper in the hospital for two weeks; even so, the newborns thrived under Charles's care.

Three months later, as the Harpers were preparing for Christmas, their lives were turned upside down when Tiana developed a breathing problem. The Harpers took her to St. Mary's Hospital in the Bronx, where a chest x-ray revealed pneumonia. But when a pediatrician there took a second look, the Harpers were faced with a diagnosis of heart failure and immediately transferred Tiana to Long Island Jewish Medical Center's Schneider Children's Hospital. "The staff at Schneider's told me her heart was working so hard that she couldn't have kept going like that," Mrs. Harper said.

Two days after Christmas, Briana, who had been fine until then, also became sick. An echocardiogram revealed congenital cardiomyopathy, which was Tiana's diagnosis as well. By the following day both twins were on opposite sides of the Schneider pediatric ICU, so that the staff wouldn't mix them up.

"The cardiologist at Schneider called Charles and me in for a family meeting, and said that our daughters may need heart transplants," Sharon Harper said.

The next step was to speak with Daphne Hsu, MD, associate professor of clinical pediatrics at NewYork-Presbyterian's Children's Hospital of New York (CHONY). "Cardiomyopathy is a very rare condition in infants," Dr. Hsu said, "and unfortunately, we do not know what causes it. It can be familial, and there have been quite a few families with more than one member requiring a heart transplant."

The girls were transferred to CHONY on January 8, 2001. Mrs. Harper appreciated the supportive CHONY team, with nurses and physicians taking the time to answer all her questions about the girls' care. Both girls were very sick when they arrived, Briana especially-she suffered a heart attack en route, and her kidneys had begun to fail. Dr. Hsu and Linda Addonizio, MD, Medical Director of the Pediatric Cardiac Transplant Program, took over their care, along with Jacqueline LaMour, MD, Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, and pediatric cardiac transplant nurse clinicians Rose Rodriguez RN and Jenny Nova RN.

On January 31, the phone rang: Dr. Hsu called to say that a heart had been found for Briana. Ralph Mosca, MD, pediatric cardiac surgeon, led her transplant operating team, and everything went well. Six days later, Dr. Hsu called once more, and Jan Quaegebeur, MD transplanted Tiana. "These surgeries are particularly unusual because, to our knowledge, this is the first time that a hospital has performed cardiac transplants on infant twins within this short span of time," Dr. Mosca said. The twins' story was highlighted in the New York Post on June 10, 2001, in a feature story by reporter Hallie Levine.

"Most infants die because of heart problems, and a damaged heart cannot be used for transplantation," Dr. Addonizio added. "We were lucky to find hearts for both girls so soon after they were listed for a heart donor."

Once the transplants were completed, the girls began to thrive once more. They were transferred from CHONY to St. Mary's on May 8, to begin rehabilitation. The Harpers were finally able to bring them home on May 31. The transplant team remains involved with the girls' progress.

The Harpers are grateful to have their beautiful girls home with them. "When I was at Children's, I tried to encourage others who found it hard to cope with their child's illness," Mrs. Harper said. "I urge parents to ask questions and understand what's happening to their children. You can do whatever your child needs you to do, whatever it takes. Nothing matters as long as you have your babies."