With their heads conjoined, these babies underwent a difficult surgery performed by neurosurgeons. They were over two years old when this complicated medical experience took place. Before that, no one had ever cut Siamese twins open – the surgeries had ended miserably.
But now medical progress has come to the point where it is possible to perform the finest brain surgery.
A Risky DecisionThese children were India’s Kanhar twins. Babies Jaga and Kalia were born with connected heads, sharing blood vessels.
And that was clear right away, so there was no way to separate them. However, in their first year of life, they were not scanned for the presence of separate brain organs. And when two years passed, the parents insisted on this test – they didn’t give up hope of separating the children to give them a normal life.The real reason was the health of one of the brothers, he became ill. It was urgent to intervene and bring in medics, otherwise both children could have died.
Due to a lack of money, the parents went to a free clinic. Doctors were interested in this case because it was a unique neurosurgical experience, perhaps it would have helped save many lives in the future.The parents signed a consent for a dangerous operation with no guarantee of saving the children’s lives. It was a big risk, but there was no choice.
Successful outcome
The doctors were inspired by the fact that each boy had a separate brain, a separation could be made. The operation went on for a full 11 hours. The medics gave their best, their jewelry work bore fruit – the babies received separate bodies. They are undergoing rehabilitation, and they have to recover and get used to their autonomous bodies for the next few years. After all, previously they had only existed together on a mental and biological level.
The parents are happy that the children survived and that everything went well. Their gratitude to the doctors is immense; they are ready to pray for these specialists until the end of their days. Had it not been for the responsibility and willingness to undergo such a dangerous surgery, the children simply would not have made it to this day.
We can only hope that the Indian twins will be able to get back on their feet and live life to the fullest. And the surgeons’ experience will give a chance to save many other people on the planet, surgeries of this level are a great rarity and a scientific achievement.