THE INCREDIBLE STORY OF A LIFE-SAVING SURGERY

During a 16-week ultrasound, Margaret Boemer, carrying the surviving twin, Lynlee,

discovered that her unborn baby had a massive, fast-growing sacrococcygeal teratoma (SCT).

By 20 weeks, the tumor was nearly the size of the baby, consuming much of her blood supply.

As a result, her heart had to work harder and harder, which threatened to cause fatal cardiac

arrest. While other doctors suggested the termination of pregnancy, a specialist team at Texas

Children’s Hospital (TCH) proposed a highly risky, experimental fetal surgery with no survival

guarantees for mother or child. At 23 weeks pregnant, surgeons opened Margaret's uterus and

pulled part of Lynlee's body out. During the five-hour procedure, Lynlee's heart temporarily

stopped, but doctors revived her and successfully removed 90% of the tumor. They then placed

the baby back into the uterus to continue growing. Finally, on June 6, 2016, Lynlee was

successfully delivered, and just eight days later, doctors could remove the remainder of the

tumor. Because of her incredible journey, Lynlee became famous worldwide as the "baby who

was born twice."

Compiled and adapted from: TEXAS CHILDREN’S. Meet Lynlee, who was born twice. [S. l.], 2018. Available at: https://www.texaschildrens.org/content/fundraising/meet-lynlee-who-was-born-twice. Accessed on: August 28, 2026 and THE DOCTORPRENEUR ACADEMY. Born Twice: The incredible story of baby Lynlee's life-saving surgery!. [S. l.]: YouTube, 2024. 1 vídeo (3 min). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxjhUOkCphA. Accessed on: August 27, 2026.