Few Days Before Their First Birthday Nigerian Conjoined Twins Successfully Separated In America

Nigerian twin girls were separated successfully few days before their first birthday in a hospital at Tennessee. The conjoined twin girls, who were connected in the pelvis, undergo an 18-hour operation at A Le Bonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis on Nov. 7 and 8.

Testimony and Miracle Ayeni come all the way from Nigeria to America for a surgical operation that will separate them for good. The action happened on Nov. 7 and eight at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee and went successfully.

The conjoined twins were born in Nigeria with both of their pelvises attached, which is a very rare condition according to Dr. Max Langham, the lead surgeon for the twin's procedure. Dr. Langham said that this condition only transpires in one of around every 5 million births.

Dr. Langham also said that if the twins were not separated, their future would be significantly affected. "They would grow up incontinent, unable to walk, entirely dependent for all of their care and unable to participate in the world ultimately," The Greeneville Sun quoted Dr. Langham as saying.

Right now both of the girls were "doing very well" according to a spokeswoman for A Le Bonheur Children's Hospital. Although the toddlers undergo subsequent recovery efforts and further surgeries, doctors are very hopeful of their long-term healthiness. Besides their successful operation, another valid reason to rejoice and celebrate is the twins' first birthday on Wednesday.

The twin girls were in the Tennessee facility since their arrival in America on June 28 together with their supportive parents, Samuel Olusegun and Mary Abiodun Ayeni, along with their older sister and pastor. The whole family was provided by an airline in Nigeria free flights going to America.

The University of Maryland reported that roughly 40 to 60 percent of conjoined twins arrive dead and around 35 percent survive only one day. The report added that the total survival rate of conjoined twins is somewhere between 5 and 25 percent.