Infant twin boys who were diagnosed with a rare immune disorder are heading home, thanks to their 4-year-old big brother.
Santino and Giovanni Demasi, both 7 months old, had chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) that was discovered shortly after they were born.
Their brother, Michael, donated his bone marrow to save their lives.
A Real Life Superhero
CGD is a rare immunodeficiency disease that has affected about one in 200,000 to 250,000 people across the world. The disease increases a person's chances of getting sick from certain cells in the immune system that are not fully forming. The rare disease mainly affects boys and could also be deadly.
The 7-month-old twin's elder brother, Dominick, was also diagnosed with CGD when he was an infant. Dominick, now 9 years old, received an umbilical cord transplant from a donor when he turned one.
Michael is the only sibling that has not been diagnosed with CGD and was a perfect match to be a donor for his younger brothers.
The children's mom, Robin Lynn, told Fox 29 that she knew it was a possibility another child of hers could get CGD, but was "shocked" when both of the twins were diagnosed with it. Robin Lynn continued that Michael wanted to save his baby brothers.
"He's just like, 'I'm a real-life superhero'. He says, 'I'm going to save my baby brothers. He could have said 'No Mommy, I'm too scared, and I don't want to,' but he's ready to go and he's our real life superhero," Robin Lynn stated.
The Procedure
The procedure took place in March of this year, with the twin boys going through 10 days of chemotherapy. Michael's surgery was conducted first. The twins then received their brother's bone marrow, and Michael was able to watch it being done.
The twins recovered from their surgery at the Children's' Hospital of Philadelphia and were able to go home on Tuesday, May 1.
Robin Lynn shared the video of the twins and Michael leaving the hospital with their family on her Facebook page. A GoFundMe page was created to help the family cover medical bills and living expenses. Robin Lynn and her fiancé quit their jobs to take care of their sons.
