Only 20 days ago we echoed a happy outcome of Siamese: Safa and Marwa, who were born joined by the skull, had left the hospital after being successfully separated.
Today we talk about Mariane and Ndeye, two Senegalese sisters to whom doctors only gave a few days to live. It was in May 2016 and, contrary to expert opinion, they are still smiling thanks to the care of the Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in the United Kingdom, the same that achieved the impossible with the Pakistani sisters.
Until then, her father, Ibrahima Ndiaye, moved with her other four children, when the little ones were only eight months old to seek help for their little ones, since she has never given up.
And still does not. After receiving the worst news just a few days ago, that the operation to separate his daughters successfully is impossible because they share vital organs, he has taken the toughest decision for a father: let them stay together “The time they have left”, although if they are not separated it is very likely that the two die.
His father does not lose hope
Although in principle the specialists of the English hospital saw possibilities of separating them, they have discovered that the circulatory system of girls is so closely linked that it is impossible to separate them successfully. In addition, although they have separate hearts and spines, they share a common liver, bladder and digestive system.
But his father continues to fight and does not lose hope that everything will improve.
In fact, they were not expected to live more than a few days and, after reaching three years of age, girls continue to surprise doctors.
His father explained to BBC News that "Doctors now know that they are a unique and complex case. They are very close together internally, which explains why they have exceeded all life expectations."
After making the hard decision not to operate them and having to choose between one of them, doctors are working to keep them alive together. And, according to Ibrahima, "the situation is a bit more optimistic".
In Babies and more, two Siamese sisters united by the head were successfully separated thanks to a donation and have already been dischargedThis is confirmed by pediatrician Gillian Body, consultant at Noah's Ark Children's Hospital in Wales. He assures that the small ones are stable and do not stop surprising the doctors with their evolution:
"Last year we thought Marieme was very dependent on Ndeye, but recent studies show that they depend on each other to stay alive."
New life for girls
The decision not to operate them has also implied changes for the small ones, as his father explains:
"It is good that one depends on the other since they are not going to be separated. We are looking forward to starting the nursery school and I hope you can enjoy as girls that you are."
And it is that although the health of the small ones is still unstable and their situation is considered 'to the limit of life', now they are in a stage of tranquility that allows the family to focus on their future.
"My daughters continue to grow and make me very happy."This is how Ibrahima expresses, which adds that "Their language advances and they are able to move with greater independence."
Now the girls attend a game center for a few hours a week, but from September, they will go to the nursery every morning.
In Babies and more, they successfully separate two 13-month-old Siamese babies joined by the chest and abdomenUndoubtedly, the strength of this father is worthy of admiration and an example of struggle, which is excited to imagine his daughters in uniform, when he had often thought he would never see them.
And that success wants to share it with "those people who have carried girls in their hearts" and hopes to help other children with disabilities because:
"If the situation gets worse and they don't succeed, I want to do something in their name, so they leave a mark on the world despite their difficult start. And if they get to see it, they will know how useful their lives have been.""In our situation and with everything we've been through, I can't close my eyes to other children with disabilities and complex needs. So I'm creating a foundation, called Joint Destination, in collaboration with the Ty Hafan children's orphanage."
