A set of twin girls who were born as conjoined have now been brought home after undergoing a six-hour surgery to separate them.
Ella Grace and Eliza Faith Fuller were conjoined at the abdomen when they were born on March 1st at Texas Children’s Pavilion for women.
They each weighed 5 pounds, 10 ounces at birth.
Their mum, Sandy Fuller, said she was "completely shocked" when she was told she was pregnant with twins, but had a more difficult time when she and her husband Jesse were told they were conjoined.
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Credit: Texas Children's Hospital[/caption]
"[When] we found out they were conjoined, it was hard and difficult, but we trusted that God was going to work in the entire journey, so it was OK,” Sandy told
Good Morning America.
The twins ended up staying in the NICU with a team of 17 medical professionals, including seven surgeons and four anesthesiologists, as they prepared for the complex surgery.
"Our team began planning and preparing for this operation before these babies were even born," Dr. Alice King, the lead surgeon on the operation and a pediatric surgeon at Texas Children's Hospital,
said in a statement.
"From conducting simulations of the procedure to collaborating extensively with our colleagues in anesthesiology, maternal-fetal medicine, neonatology, and radiology, we have all been working together to achieve one common goal: the best outcome for Ella and Eliza."
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Credit: Texas Children's Hospital[/caption]
The twins were successfully separated on June 14th and were able to be held by their parents for the first time separately after three days.
"I think you can look at them and just see God's goodness and how kind he's been to us because they're true miracles since day one," Sandy said.
The twins are now set to recover at home, with doctors expecting them to make a full recovery.
"I know it's going to be another chaotic moment once we get home, but we're excited about that chaotic moment," Jesse said. "I'm kind of bracing myself because I know it's going to be a wild house pretty soon, but I'm excited."
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