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JACKSON FETAL SURGEONS REUNITE WITH PATIENTS TREATED IN THE WOMB
Families with twins and triplets to attend Annual Celebration
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Who:
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Children treated in the womb and their families, including Leyna Gonzalez; Rubén Quintero, M.D., director of the Jackson Fetal Therapy Institute; Eftichia Kontopoulos, M.D., maternal-fetal medicine specialist and co-director of the Jackson Fetal Therapy Institute
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What:
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The Jackson Fetal Therapy Institute at Jackson Memorial Hospital will host Fetal Reunion 2014, an event uniting children who were treated in the womb with fetal surgeons Rubén Quintero, M.D., and Eftichia Kontopoulos, M.D.
Dr. Quintero is a pioneer in the field of fetal medicine, treating birth defects in utero via a minimally-invasive approach – designing both the techniques and surgical instruments. This event raises awareness about current treatment options for life-threatening fetal conditions.
Nearly 400 people are expected to attend – many of them families with twins and triplets – to reunite with the doctors who helped save the lives of many of these children before birth. The guests will also join the doctors in a butterfly release ceremony to remember those babies who didn’t survive.
Among those former patients expected to attend is Leyna Gonzalez. While in her mother’s womb, Leyna had an oral teratoma, a large, life-threatening tumor growing from her mouth. Drs. Quintero and Kontopoulos operated on Leyna in utero, resecting the tumor and saving her life. This was the first case of its kind in the world. Leyna, who recently turned 4, will attend Fetal Reunion 2014 with her family.
Children will dance, play games, have their faces painted, and enjoy the park.
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When:
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October
18, 2014, 11:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m.
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Where:
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Jungle Island
1111 Parrot Jungle Trail
Miami, FL 33132
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Editor’s Note:
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Media should confirm their attendance by calling Jennifer Piedra at 786-525-9078.
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Jackson Health System
1611 N.W. 12th Avenue Miami, FL 33136
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