Mum, Anglea Formosa never thought the day when her daughters would start school would come.
At 16 weeks the expectant mum was sent to King’s College Hospital where it was discovered that her babies were joined at the abdomen and appeared to share part of the intestine.
“I was already worried that they were monoamniotic (twins that share an amniotic sac), and conjoined was the worst-case scenario,” She told the Press Association.
“I was really, really, really scared and really upset because at that point I was told that there was a high possibility that the girls wouldn’t survive the pregnancy.”
“And if they did survive the pregnancy, they might not survive the birth; then they might not survive surgery.”
Parents, Angela and Daniel Formosa, were told their daughters would have a slim chance of survival, this week Rosie and Ruby now aged four years have beat the odds and are starting school.
“Four years ago it wasn’t in my mind that this would ever happen,” said Angela.
Angela gave birth at 34 weeks, and the girls immediately received emergency five-hour surgery to separate them in London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital in 2012. Incredibly, despite their rare condition and the high-risk surgery they endured when they were just a few hours old, the Kent family were able to take their daughters home at 3-weeks.
Angela who was heartbroken upon learning of her daughters’ rare condition, is clearly thrilled that they have weathered their early trauma and are about to hit the major milestone of that first day at school.
“When I was pregnant I didn’t think I’d ever see their first day at school so it is really amazing and all thanks to Great Ormond Street Hospital really.”
“They are very similar, they are very bubbly little girls, they are very headstrong and very determined, which I knew they were from when they were in my belly because of the way they kept growing and surviving.”
Great Ormond Street Hospital has provided care for 27 sets of conjoined twins since performing the first successful separation surgery in 1985.
