They are almost 2!

Photo: Collected

Remember Tofa and Tahura?

The conjoined twins from Gaibandha, who were successfully separated in a marathon surgery at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on August 1 last year, are 22 months old now.

The girls' are also doing quite well.

Tofa now weighs around 8kg and can walk with a little support while Tahura, who is around 6.2kg, cannot walk yet.

“They can now eat with their own hands,” said their proud mother Shahida.

Last month, their parents brought the sisters back to DMCH as per doctors' advice and on Saturday, Tofa had another operation to create a passage for passing waste. Until now both sisters had been using tubes for the process since their separation.

The girls are now staying at the hospital.

The surgery was done on Tofa first, as Tahura is not considered strong enough to be operated on at the moment.

Shahnoor Islam, professor of paediatrics surgery department at DMCH, who conducted the operation, said she was optimistic about their full recovery.

Both need to be kept under observation and in the meantime, proper nutritional intake has to be ensured for them, she added.

According to doctors, Tahura has developed urine infection, along with a few more health complications, which is delaying her progress and surgery.

Initially, as the two shared a few organs, there were some complications before the operation. Now their organs are also developing individually. To ensure their well-being, they are also being given therapy.

“They are seeing all the required specialists. This is not just success of the paediatric department, but rather a combined effort of all involved,” Shahnoor said.

This correspondent also spoke to the girls' mother at the hospital. “We are very happy with their progress,” said Shahida. Tofa and Tahura, meanwhile, were sucking their thumbs happily.

Shahida also expressed frustration as they cannot provide the girls with extra care, especially food and health care, due to their poor financial condition. She said their father is a farmer.

A 24-member team of doctors, aided by several nurses and support staff, operated on the twins last year. The doctors advised the parents to bring them back for follow-up surgeries after three to six months, depending on their health

condition.

“My heart pounded every minute during the operation. I asked about my daughters' condition to anyone coming out of the operation theatre. I was relieved when I saw them with my own eyes,” their mother said.

“Many used to say they may not survive… But proving them wrong, my daughters are alive and are in a good condition,” said Shahida.

The babies, who were joined at the waist, were born on September 29, 2016 in a village in Paschim Dinia of Gaibandha's Sundarganj upazila with the help of a local midwife.

Conjoined twins are identical twins joined in the mother's womb. It is an extremely rare phenomenon. Two babies joined at the pelvis are even rarer. Doctors say such cases are called pygopagus conjoined twins.