The cojoined twin sisters Dwi Ningshi and Anugrah from Indonesia A cojoined twin sisters joined at the waist, who also share a hear...
The cojoined twin sisters Dwi Ningshi and Anugrah from Indonesia
A cojoined twin sisters joined at the waist, who also share a heart are defying all odds and growing up fast, learning the tricks to live happily.
Dwi Ningsih and Anugrah from Garut regency in West Java in Indonesia were born joined at the waist.
The four-year-old sisters have fully formed pair of arms but only two legs and one deformed leg dangling down their waist and share same stomach.
While doctors have ruled out any possibility of a surgery to separate the twins as they share one heart, the adorable toddlers are defying all odds and growing up fast, learning the tricks to live happily.
“They love to race with their big brother. They are surprisingly very fast.
“They are very active kids and do not sit for a moment and crawl in the whole house.
“They love to draw, watch TV,compete against each other while wearing clothes and sing together. They rarely play outside the home as kids are scared of them,” says mother Yani.
Yani, 30 and her husband Iwan Kurniawan, 34, who also have a ten-year-old son named Rendy Hermawan, were thrilled to know about the second pregnancy.
However, the couple were unaware that Yani was carrying twins until the doctors find that out minutes before the delivery and performed a cesarean section.
She said: “I did not have an ultrasound done and because my first born was healthy, I did not go for routine checkups. It was only before the delivery that doctors found out that I was carrying Siamese twins and told me natural birth would not be possible.
“The first time I saw them, I was so shocked. I did not expect I was carrying twins and that they would look like that. I could not believe my eyes and wondered why were they joined together!
“When my son saw his sisters, he felt sorry. He requested us to ask doctors to separate them so he could take them into his arms.”
Still shocked with the birth of their Siamese twins, the parents consulted doctors if a surgery can separate the girls but their hopes shattered when they were told that babies share only one heart and a surgery can result in casualty.
Conjoined twins occur when the zygote, the initial cell formed by sexual reproduction, fails to completely separate.
It is believe to occur in roughly one in every 50,000 births, but just one per cent make it to their first birthday and two-thirds are stillborn.
Kurniawan said: ”After going through several examinations the doctor declared they were unable to perform an operation because the twins have only one heart and that we could lose both of them if a surgery is performed.
“We did not want to lose any of our child so we agreed with the doctor and brought them home with the hopes of raising them up happily.”
Yani and Kurniawan have gone extents, dedicating their lives to give their daughters a comfortable life. But as they are growing up, the parents, who have to depend on donations, are finding it hard to raise them up.
Kurniawan said: “It was hard for Yani to take care of the three children. I had to be there to give my helping hand which meant I could not devote much time in work. I was asked to leave.
“Since then I am employed and are completely relying on donations.
“While we hope it would be good if they can be separated but as it is not possible, we can only hope that they survive for as long as possible.
“I only want to get a job so I can look after my children and meet their needs. I cannot live off the donors forever.”
//
