SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - A local family has two reasons to smile Tuesday night.
Twin brothers Eric and Raul Montano recently received new hearts at Rady Children's Hospital.
This is a story about two brothers becoming stronger than ever. Big brother Raul, who is older by a whole 2 minutes, received his new heart on March 8th, two months after his brother Eric. The brothers have been through a lot together and now they have one more thing in common.
Both boys suffer from restrictive cardiomyopathy, which makes the heart muscles stiff and unable to pump enough blood. The condition runs in their family.
Now, with two successful surgeries, the father says he is forever grateful to the donors. For their mother, the journey hasn't been easy, but it's well worth the pain.
Raul and Eric say they are eager to get back to school. For these fraternal twins, their hearts are not only new but filled with gratitude.
CBS News 8's Angie Lee spoke to both brothers on Tuesday. She has additional details about how they are recovering in this video report.