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Beating the odds: The second of conjoined twins finally goes home

At just shy of 14 months old, Paislyn had never left that hospital... until today.

MINNEAPOLIS - From the outside of the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital, one could never know how much joy and pain and everything in between that is going on inside.

Tuesday morning’s joyful farewell for Paislyn Martinez wasn’t without a nagging dose of pain because for one year and 52 days, her care team was with her morning, noon, and night.

No matter how bittersweet it was to see her go, it was time.

At just shy of 14 months old, Paislyn has never left that hospital, or the floor she has lived on recovering from separation surgery from her born conjoined twin sister, Paisely, and her heart defect.

“I didn't think she would make it over a year. But we did. We made it further than that,” Paislyn’s mom, Paris Bryan said.

To be specific, only one side of Paislyn’s heart functions, meaning it is doing double duty to keep blood pumping, oxygen flowing.

That isn’t sustainable, so Paislyn does face more surgeries and hospital stays.

But today wasn't about all of the reasons Paislyn would come back to this hospital. It was about letting her go.

“I've worked here for 31 years in pediatric critical care nursing, at the U and I have gotten attached to lots of kids over those times,” Paislyn’s charge nurse, Laurie Meyer said.

But like a lot of kids, Paislyn got to her.

Laurie read to Paislyn when she got fussy, or let her watch Moana when she needed a little pick-me-up.

But Laurie knows this day was the entire point of the 417 days Paislyn occupied floor three.

“It’s hard to be sad when this is what you are working toward, the goal,” Laurie said.

Always trying to get them home, even when the place they are leaving, is the only home they have ever known.

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