CONJOINED TWINS DEFY THE ODDS MARIEME AND NDEYE NDIAYE WERE GIVEN JUST WEEKS TO LIVE BUT THE UNIQUE PAIR, NOW THREE, WILL SOON START NURSERY
CONJOINED twin sisters have defied doctors who feared they wouldn’t live for more than a few days and will soon start nursery in Cardiff.
When Marieme and Ndeye Ndiaye were born in Senegal, West Africa, in May 2016, their father Ibrahima was told they would have just days or weeks to live.
They each had a healthy brain and their own heart, stomach and lungs, but they shared a single liver, bladder and digestive system.
The tiny babies both had control of one conjoined arm but Ndeye, the stronger twin, used it more frequently.
Seeking a better outlook for the twins, Ibrahima travelled to the UK and settled in Cardiff where his daughters received support from doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
But Ibrahima faced the difficult decision with medical professionals of whether to try to separate the twins, a procedure that carries significant risk for both children.
Now, more than a year after the family moved to Cardiff, scans have revealed that neither child could survive separation.
Both sisters have thrived in ways doctors thought impossible and are expected to start nursery in September.
In a BBC documentary, Conjoined Twins: An Impossible Decision, Ibrahima said he contacted medical professionals all over the world looking for a solution after the birth of his daughters.
He said: “When I was trying to find a solution for the girls from Senegal it wasn’t easy because the contacts I had all over the world, it was just there is nothing we can do.
“[They said] don’t put too much hope in the girls it is just a matter of weeks. They have no hope of surviving with their condition.
“But when I got in touch with Great Ormond Street Hospital, it was the first time in a hospital I heard ‘you can come so that we can see what we can do.’”
Ibrahima and the girls were given discretionary leave to remain in the UK so they could continue to receive treatment at Great Ormond Street.
They now live in a small flat close to Cardiff city centre.
In late 2018, doctors feared that Marieme’s heart was growing weaker, and she was mainly being kept alive by her sister.
Ibrahima was warned if Marieme died suddenly, it may be too late to save Ndeye.
They faced the extraordinary decision of whether to risk separation in order to save Ndeye’s life.
But medical professionals eventually discovered the girls’ circulatory systems are far more closely linked than they once thought. This means it would be impossible for either child to survive separation.
They are actually keeping each other alive in a way that Great Ormond Street has never seen before.
“They have never dealt with something like this,” Ibrahima said. “It is a new case for them.
“Since I started trying to find solutions for the girls all over the world, you can imagine it is not possible to have a life with it.
“All things that are related to yourself you put on standby. That is what I have done the last three years.
“When it comes to what you might call bravery, I cannot describe myself as brave. All the credit is for the girls. I’m not the one who is experiencing the condition.”
The girls have been attending play groups and respite with children’s hospice Tŷ Hafan since living in Cardiff.
Although their health condition continues to change, they are soon to start attending a nursery for five mornings a week.
Ibrahima said: “One day I can have a picture of them in a school uniform playing like any other kid, having a teacher. This is the things that are keeping me strong.
“I feel lucky to be their dad. That is what I’m telling them all the time.
“It can sound paradoxical. Nobody would ask to go through what I’m going through.”
He added: “The people of the UK and especially Wales, I want to thank them for letting the girls live in a safe environment, and helping them live as long as possible.
“I moved to Cardiff. I don’t regret it. It is a nice place. I think the girls will flourish.”