At 24 weeks gestation, Brailey and Louis received devastating news: Their unborn daughter, Arley, had a rapidly growing pericardial teratoma — a tumor threatening her heart and life. In a race against time, they traveled from Tennessee to CHOP, where a team of experts determined that immediate fetal surgery was their only hope. Less than 24 hours later, weighing just under 2 pounds — small enough to fit in the palm of a hand — Arley underwent groundbreaking open fetal heart surgery. The team navigated her delicate heart, removing the tumor and repairing a portion connected to her aorta. Delivered safely in CHOP’s Garbose Family Special Delivery Unit, Arley is now thriving.

Maeve’s earliest challenge came before she was born: a rare sacrococcygeal teratoma (SCT) — a tumor at the base of her tailbone — threatened her development. Initially, the plan was to monitor the tumor and remove it after birth, but in just four weeks, the tumor quadrupled in size, taking blood from her tiny body and causing heart failure. Waiting was no longer an option. Her parents turned to the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment, led by N. Scott Adzick, MD, a world-renowned pioneer who performed the first successful open fetal surgery for SCT. Maeve underwent lifesaving surgery in utero and was delivered safely in the Garbose Family Special Delivery Unit. Now 10, she is flourishing in school and plays multiple sports.

Bridgette and Grace’s parents faced a terrifying diagnosis: twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), a rare and life-threatening condition in identical twins where one twin receives too much blood and the other too little. This dangerous imbalance can cause heart failure, organ damage, or death for one or both babies before birth. The team in the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment, which has special expertise in TTTS, intervened with precise, delicate fetal surgery, carefully restoring blood flow in utero. The procedure required extraordinary expertise, coordination and monitoring, giving both girls a fighting chance. After a delicate delivery, the twins began life outside the womb. Today, they are both happy, healthy and full of energy.

When Amari and Javar’s parents learned the twins were joined at the chest, they turned to the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment. From prenatal scans through birth in the Garbose Family Special Delivery Unit, the care team guided the family with compassion and meticulous planning, even running simulations to prepare for their delivery. CHOP has performed more conjoined twin separations than any hospital in North America, establishing unparalleled expertise in these extraordinarily rare cases. Born tiny but strong, the twins spent their first months in CHOP’s Newborn/Infant Intensive Care Unit, growing, holding hands and showing their distinct personalities. Nearly a year later, an extraordinary eight-hour surgery separated them. Today, they’re thriving as individuals.