Fargo twins joined at chest to be separated
More than 1,000 people turned out to a pancake breakfast and silent auction to benefit twin girls connected at the chest.
Organizers estimated about $8,500 was raised Sunday to help Amy and Jesse Carlsen with medical bills for their daughters Abby and Belle.
“ If there was another word besides thank you, I would use it,” said Amy Carlsen, who cried when she saw how many people attended.
The turnout at St. John’s Lutheran Church was about double what was expected when the event was planned and caused numerous runs to the store for extra food and supplies.
But the extra work was worth it.
“ It’s kind of like a miracle,” Jesse Carlsen said.
Doctors have told the Carlsens that they want to run more tests and let the girls get bigger before scheduling an operation to separate them.
The girls were born in late November at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, and the Carlsens brought them home about three weeks ago. If all goes well, doctors say the girls will be headed for surgery in a few months at Children’s Hospitals and Clinics in Minneapolis.
The medical bills are already starting to pile up, and Jesse Carlsen said the fund-raiser will certainly help.
“ People in the Midwest, if there’s a need, they respond,” organizer Brenda Bauer said.
Nancy Mueller — a Fargo woman with twin 4-year-old girls — said she felt compelled to help out as a mother of twins.
“ I’ve just been following the story and hoping and praying all goes well for them,” she said.