Twins are an interesting phenomenon. Those of the identical variety are often thought of as exact copies of one another. Yet literature has often played on the idea of one twin having qualities the other does not - one kind, one cruel or one caring, one cunning. For the most part, whether physical or mental, it's the likeness between them which people tend to pick up on. This sense of similarity is perhaps what causes them to feel that they are so connected and, if the bond is especially strong, even telepathic. In some cases, this fusion is of a more literal sort, hence conjoined twins; two twins, joined by some part of the body, such as the ribs, arms or shoulders, or even at the head. Usually, nothing can be done about those joined at the head but in this special case, medical experts decided it was worth the risk. Flip the page to see how groundbreaking surgery has changed one family's life. Surgeons recently managed to separate two conjoined twin boys. The 13-month-old twin boys, Anias and Jadon McDonald, underwent a lengthy operation at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center, NY, that began on Thursday morning, and finally ended on Friday. The surgeons were led by world renowned craniopagus surgery expert, Dr. James Goodrich, for whom this was his seventh and longest operation to date. Parents Nicole and Christian were warned that the procedure, which had to be done in several stages, carried large risks, including death or long-term brain damage for one or both boys (they both shared an inch and a half diameter of brain tissue, as well as blood vessels). The alternative was just as bleak, given that 80% of twins joined at the head die of medical complications by the age of two. Following separation, the boys also needed more hours of surgery to rebuild their skulls. Since the operation, an overwhelmed Nicole took to social media to say the following, As always, medical advances are a wonderful thing, and not just simply from the novelty of such procedures being possible, but also the very human element. It is no understatement to say how much of a difference it makes, and will make, to the lives of the children and their families, now that at least some of their fears can be relieved. Source
