Together for ever
Conjoined twins Marieme and Ndeye reach a birthday milestone nobody thought they’d see...
INSEPARABLE SISTERS Wednesday, 10.40pm (Wales, 8pm; N Ireland, 11.40pm), BBC1 Factual
Twins Marieme and Ndeye were born conjoined in Dakar, Senegal, in 2016, something that came as a huge shock to their family.
With one pair of legs between them, a single pelvis but two separate hearts, it was thought the girls wouldn’t survive for more than a few days. Yet, as the weeks passed, they hung on to life. Now, this one-off documentary follows them as they turn seven, a birthday milestone nobody ever thought they’d reach.
‘To have conjoined twins was something I never imagined,’ says their father, Ibrahima. ‘I won’t pretend it’s easy, because it’s not. But they’ve achieved things that nobody thought they would.’
When Marieme and Ndeye were born, Ibrahima contacted hospitals around the world, determined to save their lives. In 2017, he left behind his career in Senegal, hoping medics at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital would be able to separate them. However, tests found that Marieme’s heart was too weak to survive surgery. Since then, Ibrahima has devoted himself to their care, while his wife remains in Senegal looking after their other children.
Bringing joy
The girls now attend school in Cardiff, have plenty of friends and are even learning how to stand for short periods. ‘When you’re told there’s no future you concentrate on the present and celebrating life,’ says Ibrahima. ‘I don’t know how long they’re going to live. But they bring me such joy.
It’s a huge privilege to be their dad.’