Two 13-year-old sisters from Wellington spend almost every day of their lives together. They both share the joys of figure skating and share their pain.
The DiMartino twins have the same genetic condition, onset scoliosis. But Milan and Isabella do have some hope.
“It has been emotional, lots of tears and lots of moments of panic,” said their mother Melissa DiMartino.
She said as the girls grow, their spines get worse and even after hours of therapy, they will need surgery.
“It will continue to curve and continue to displace other organs and oxygen levels get compromised even further,” said DiMartino.
The type of surgery the girls need isn’t available here. Milan and Isabella have to go to New York for a highly specialized procedure.
“We won’t have to think about scoliosis anymore,” said Milan.
The girls also have a rare blood disorder, a complicating factor for surgeons.
The only good thing in all this, the sisters have each other.
“I don’t want her to go through it because I don’t want her to be hurt too, but it is nice to have someone there,” said Isabella.
The specialized surgery comes with a high price tag.
There is an auction type fundraiser for the DiMartino girls on Feb. 6 at the Mayacoo Lakes Country Club from 7-9 p.m.
The family also has a GoFundMe page.
The surgery is scheduled in three weeks.