Morgan Corwin and her twin sister Victoria have the same DNA, birthdays, and surgeries due to the fact that they are identical twins.
Both of them were born with cleft lip and palate, and they have had the same surgical procedures done on them: cleft lip repair when they were 6 months old, and bone transplants to heal the clefts in their gum lines when they were 9 years old.
But just this year, at the age of 17, Morgan embarked on her own surgery adventure at Spectrum Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital with John Girotto, MD, and John Polley, MD, pediatric plastic surgeons from Spectrum Health Medical Group.
Morgan was getting ready to go on her own journey when she swooped to the side and braided her long blonde hair in an Elsa-inspired style.
‘A long day
“The right side (of Morgan’s face and jaw) was not growing as fast as the left side,” said Jill, Morgan’s mother. “The left side was growing faster than the right side.” “It hasn’t really grown at the same rate ever, and as a result, it created a very crooked jaw on both the top and the bottom.”
The symptoms have been more noticeable during the last several months. Morgan slowly came to the conclusion that the troubles she was having with her jaw may result in complications for the rest of her life.
Jill said, “We knew it was a medical issue,” It seemed as if the joints were misaligned, and her bite did not appear to be correct. In the most recent couple of months, she had discomfort in her jaw whenever she chewed gum or ate certain meals. She came to the conclusion that things were only going to become worse over the following several years.
To repair Morgan’s lower jaw, Drs. Polley and Girotto removed a chunk of bone from the patient’s skull and used it in the operation, which lasted for eight hours. After that, the upper jaw was brought to the same level and moved forward to match, which resulted in a stable and symmetrical bite and face.
“It’s been a long day,” Jill said after the operation as she sat with her daughter in the pediatric critical care unit at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan. “Before the operation, one of our pastors came to the hospital to pray with us in the morning. That struck her as rather funny. She definitely sensed the affection.”
‘Clearly evident’ results
Jill said that she was able to observe a significant change in her daughter’s look even before Morgan had fully recovered from her operation.
Jill remarked that the woman’s chin was not in the proper position. “Her chin was out to where it should have been,” “At this point, her face seems to be rather symmetrical. I can see a change even with the edema that’s occurring. As time passes, I have no doubt that things will become even better.”
Morgan is making good progress in her recovery and is now resting at home in Traverse City several weeks after undergoing surgery.
Jill said that it sounded like “she is in great spirits.” “She is getting a lot of rest, but it is difficult for her because she is unable to talk as much as she would like to,” we were told.
After having some of the rubber bands that had been holding her lips shut removed by Dr. Polley, she is now able to consume soft food once again.
Being able to consume food that is not simply via a straw has helped her feel better, according to Jill. “This has helped her feel better,” She is now able to consume things like cooked noodles, mashed potatoes, and other similar foods.
Victoria, also known as Tori, who is Morgan’s twin sister said that she finds it strange that she would not be there for her sister’s operation.
“It was a lot different not having surgery with her because then I wasn’t with her the whole time and I had to endure watching her go through all that pain without me,” Tori said. “It was a lot different not having surgery with her because then I wasn’t with her at all.” “Because we’ve always done these things together, it was a little strange when we did them separately.”
Sister-to-sister, The outcomes of Morgan’s surgical procedure get an enthusiastic endorsement from Tori.
Tori added, “I think it makes her look more beautiful,” and she was absolutely right. I am so thankful that she was able to have everything mended so that she would no longer be in any agony.
Dr. Girotto said that the transformation is quite remarkable.
Dr. Girotto said that Morgan is making fantastic progress. “She’s undergone a remarkable adjustment to the symmetry of her face. The repositioning of her face skeleton even modifies the position of the facial soft tissues; you would assume that we corrected her nose, but it was really caused by the reconstruction of her skeleton.
Her occlusion and dental alignment will be improved as a result of her orthodontic therapy.
“The last bit of swelling will be around for a few months,” Dr. Girotto added, “but the early results are clearly apparent.”
‘It’ll be even better
The majority of Morgan’s life has been spent portraying the role of a soldier.
In addition to having a cleft lip and palate and a deformed jaw, she was born with her heart located on the right side of her chest. According to Dr. Girotto, this condition occurs in around one in every 10,000 newborns.
Morgan’s heart, on the other hand, has always been in the right place, and despite the problems she has, she is still a member of the varsity basketball team at the high school she attends in Northern Michigan. In the latter half of October, she plans to go back into athletics.
In addition, Morgan’s right arm did not have a radius bone when she was born. The distance that separates her elbow and hand is barely approximately 4 inches in total. In addition to it, the thumb on her right hand is gone.
Jill said that Sherry enjoys being physically active. “She is a person with a great deal of determination. She dribbles with her left hand and assists with her right hand when needed. Nothing can stop her from achieving her goals. She is quite competitive with her twin sister, therefore if her sister can do anything, it motivates her to find a method to accomplish it herself.
In addition, Morgan is a member of the concert band at her high school.
Jill said that despite the trumpet being a right-handed instrument, Jill has seen her play it with her left hand. As a result of the operation, she won’t be able to play the trumpet for quite some time. She is disappointed that she cannot play the trumpet yet, but she was aware of this limitation when she began.
Jill said that medical competence is something that makes the trip worthwhile.
“Everyone has been really wonderful with her care,” she added. “I can’t thank everyone enough.” “It’s been the best experience that it could possibly be.”
