HOUSTON – It has been four years since conjoined twins were successfully separated by surgeons at Texas Children's Hospital, and after a difficult start to life, the two are thriving and about to mark a major milestone.
What happened:
Conjoined twins Knatalye Hope and Adeline Faith Mata were born in April 2014, and after at least a year in the hospital, the two were finally separated on Feb. 17, 2015, at Texas Children's Hospital.
KPRC: Conjoined twins separated at Texas Children's Hospital mark major milestone
The separation occurred 18 hours into the operation and included a team of 12 surgeons, six anesthesiologists and eight surgical nurses. The team worked for approximately 23 hours on Knatalye and 26 hours on Adeline.
The team performed the historic surgery and were able to successfully separate the twins, who shared a chest wall, lungs, pericardial sac (the lining of the heart), diaphragm, liver, intestines, colon and pelvis, according to Texas Children's Hospital.
What's new:
Since the surgery, the twins have received various therapies and even became big sisters. But apart from all the progress, the girls are now 5 years old, and have marked a major milestone.
Knatalye Hope and Adeline Faith now live in Littlefield, Texas and will be starting pre-K next week.
According to Texas Children's Hospital, "Both girls are doing extremely well and continue to thrive at home where they live with their parents, Eric and Elysse, older brother, Azariah, and younger sister, Mia. The family is very excited to see the girls sharing this special milestone together … The twins will attend full-day pre-k every weekday … Their mother, Elysse Mata, reports that the girls love their teachers and especially love recess. They're also looking forward to start taking the bus to school starting next week."
