Calif conjoined twins separated

PALO ALTO:

Conjoined California twins Eva and Erika Sandoval have become two separate toddlers following a 17hour marathon surgery and are recovering “quite well,” officials said Thursday. The Sacramento Bee reported the 2-yearold Sacramento area girls were born conjoined from the chest down and shared a bladder, liver, parts of their digestive system and a third leg. Their parents said each girl has retained portions of the organs they shared.

Each girl still has one leg and surgeons told the newspaper both would likely need a prosthetic leg. The third limb was used for skin grafts to cover surgical wounds. Their parents were overjoyed with the success of the separation, which has been in the planning stages since before the girls were born. “They look amazing. They’re amazing. They have their hair done, and they’re resting,” said mother Aida Sandoval. “We’re just going to take it one day at a time and let them catch up on their rest.”

At a news conference Thursday afternoon, she said she has seen the twins separated and awake. “The first time I saw the girls it was very surreal,” she said. “And it’s still very surreal.” Speaking through tears and in both Spanish and English, she said it’s been a “long journey to get here.” “It’s really been a dream come true,” she said. The twins are in stable condition and are expected to remain in intensive care for up to two weeks, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford officials said. Lead surgeon Dr Gary Hartman said a team of 50 worked on the procedure. “(It’s) the same goal we have for all of our children: that we end up with two, happy healthy girls,” Hartman said. “Anyone who saw the girls before surgery can testify to the happy part,” which he credited entirely to their parents, Hartman said. “We think that this week we made a big step toward the healthy part. — AP