The sisters were born with one head
Manal and Mirhi were born in Pakistan with an extremely rare condition: they were “joined at the head,”
sharing “a cranial bone and a complex vascular system.”
Such cases occur “approximately once in every 60,000 newborns,” and few survive long enough for surgery.
When the sisters turned three, doctors and parents chose to proceed,
knowing “the separation surgery could have ended very badly.”
The girls were transferred to Bilkent City Hospital in Ankara,
where an international team prepared for months using “three-dimensional models of the twins’ skull and brain.”
The operation was performed in stages, with the final procedure lasting “more than 14 hours.”
Despite the risks, “the operation ended successfully,” and the girls soon began breathing independently.
Doctors say recovery is faster than expected and predict “a full life.”
For their parents, the moment is priceless: “for the first time they can hold each daughter individually in their arms.”
