Singapore, Iran mourn twins’ deaths
My prayers go out to their family and friends.
Oh, that’s so sad. 
Very tragic.
Very sad indeed. I was really hoping it would go well for them.
Such a shame. They tried so very hard. Damn.
That is so sad—I saw them on the news before the surgery, and they both seemed so bright and smart and optimistic.
Ya, I was sad to see this too. I’d mentally crossed my fingers for them.
Thoughts and best wishes to their families and friends.
Oh, damn. They just seemed like such lovely people.
I think we should salute them. They knew the danger and accepted the risk and went ahead anyway.
After reporting this story, the news anchor remarked that no conjoined twins have survived an attempted separation.
Does anyone know if this is true?
I believe that would refer to ADULT conjoined twins. Plenty of infants have survived and thrived.
According to this, "Twins joined at the head occur only once in every two million live births, and successful separation is even rarer. It has never been performed on adults. German doctors turned the Bijanis away in 1996, saying it could prove fatal to separate them. "
You’re right, Scarlett. I even previewed what I typed and still managed to flub it up!
That must’ve been hell, going through life attached like that. I don’t blame them for taking the risk. Too bad it didn’t work.
Had I been in their shoes, I’d have taken the risk as well. They were brave young ladies and deserve admiration. How sad.
It’s very tragic. I’m in Singapore, and their thirst for life was noted by the local press. There seemed to be so much hope, but this has to happen…
That’s so sad! I really wanted it to go well for them.
“For years the answer was always the same: “We’d love to help but it is too dangerous.” German doctors refused in 1996 to operate, warning the operation would most likely kill one or both of the twins, or leave them in a vegetative state. Since similar operations began 50 years ago, four in five attempts at separation have resulted in severe complications for one or both of the twins. The Bijani sisters faced a greater risk as they grew older, with all previous operations to separate conjoined twins taking place when the patients were babies. But the twins’ now famous determination took them to Singapore in November last year after they heard neurosurgeon, Keith Goh, had led a team in 2001 that successfully separated Nepalese babies in a 97-hour operation. Dr Goh initially tried to persuade them not to have the operation because of the high risks involved but eventually their resolve wore him down. “We gave them the risks very bluntly,” Dr Goh told the media last month. “We tried very hard to change their minds because it would be the easiest thing to … but we couldn’t.””
—Hmmm. Sounds like it was doomed from the start. I wonder if they shouldn’t have been talked out of it? Now that I read more about it, it sounds downright suicidal, poor ladies.
That’s terrible…
It’s really sad. Ultimately, though, I do believe it was their decision to make, knowing fully the risks involved. And what if it had succeeded? They would have made medical history and changed the course of the future for not only themselves but other adult conjoined twins.
I salute their courage.