Indiana Co. Twins, Young Pens Fan Succumb To Life-Threatening Conditions
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Three local children, all who bravely battled live-threatening conditions, have died.
In Indiana County, infant conjoined twins Garrett and Andrew Stancombe passed away on Tuesday while in hospice care.
The brothers were born in April to parents Michelle Van Horne and Kody Stancombe.
They shared a heart and liver.
And their mother said just after their birth that they faced an uncertain future.
"They could be with us here tomorrow and gone the next second. A month down they could be gone. They could turn into teenagers," Michelle said back in April. "We don't know and that's the difficulty."
Because the boys shared such vital organs, their parents and doctors decided not to separate them due to the risks.
In Monroeville, a young boy who was honored by the Penguins last fall also passed away.
According to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office, Matthew Jacko died Wednesday afternoon at his home. He had also been in hospice care prior to his death, but had been released to go home.
Jacko battled an inoperable brain tumor.
Last October, he met his hero Sidney Crosby when the Penguins invited him and his family to tour CONSOL Energy Center and hang out with the team.
Jacko watched a practice session and received an autographed Crosby jersey.
RELATED LINKS:
Indiana County Conjoined Twins Defying The Odds (4/24/14)
Boy's Wish To Meet Sidney Crosby Comes True (10/31/13)
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