The chance of birth of children with Siamese twin syndrome is an anomaly and is equal to 1 in 200,000 births. Since infancy, these people know a lot of difficulties and usually die early. However, the story of sisters Eman and Sanchia Mowatt was more comforting. Not only did the girls manage to survive the complex surgery, but they also began to live life to the fullest, challenging societal stereotypes.
Their story goes back to Sept. 13, 2001, when Emma and David Mowatt gave birth to daughters with Siamese twin syndrome. At the time, doctors discovered that the girls had fused their spinal cord and other important organs.
When Eman and Sanchia were 3 months old, the decision was made to undergo a complex surgery. The specialists themselves admitted that this was the first time they had taken on such a case. Initially, prognoses were unfavorable. After all, separated Siamese twins rarely survive, and the sisters, on top of everything else, had weak legs.
Neurosurgeons warned that the girls could remain paralyzed or disabled for life.The decisive day for the fates of the two Mowatts took place at Birmingham Hospital. The surgery was led by Tony Hockley, a renowned neurosurgeon, and lasted 16 hours. Though the procedure went well, Eman and Sanchia were to be followed by doctors and monitored their health for a long time to come. And with Tony Hockley family began to maintain almost friendly relations.
The story of the two sisters quickly broke in the media. From an early age the girls were often on television and tried to accept their individuality, which was not easy. Eman and Sanchia constantly observed that they were different, but they never faced ridicule from their classmates, but that all changed by adolescence. Peers started asking more uncomfortable questions, but the girls always tried to stand up for their rights and didn’t like it when people touched their personal space.
To this day, walking is hard for them. Both girls have a spinal cord defect and have to use crutches to get around. The girls remain close to each other and support each other. They have another younger sister, Damaris, who has always helped their loved ones and supported them before their surgeries.Life changed during the 2020 pandemic. The family lost a relative, and the Mowatt’s spent their senior year at Zoom. Now the 3 sisters are attending university. Sanchia is mastering programming, Eman is into politics, and Damaris is into pedagogy.