Israeli Twins
In March 2021, we were contacted by the team at the Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba, Israel. There, we were introduced to our fifth set of craniopagus twins: twin girls born just months before in the local area. Over the next months, we worked closely with the team at Soroka to plan the surgery. In September, we travelled to Israel to perform the final separation surgery. It marked several firsts for the Gemini Untwined team: the first time we would operate outside of the UK; the first time such a surgery would be performed in Israel; and the first time the Gemini team would lead a cross-border group to perform the surgery.
The surgery itself lasted 12 hours, but the bulk of the work was done in the months prior, over a six-month period which included the creation of 3D VR models of the twins so the process could be visualised and adapted prior to execution. The operation was a resounding success, due to the brilliant effort of the Gemini Untwined and the Soroka Medical Centre teams, who were able to draw on Professor Jeelani’s years of experience, leadership, and guidance in theatre.
When told that their daughters remained together but apart, separated, and healthy, the twins’ parents “were just over the moon. I have never in my life seen a person smile, cry, be happy, and be relieved at the same time,” shared Professor Jeelani. “The mother simply couldn’t believe it, we had to pull up a chair to help her to calm down.” Every donation you make helps fund life-saving treatment and research.
In The Media
BBC News — Israeli conjoined twins see each other for first time after surgery
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-58481203
The New York Times — Twins Conjoined at the Head Separated in Israel
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/05/world/middleeast/israel-conjoined-twins-separated.html
Sky News — Israel: One-year-old twins conjoined at the head are separated after 12-hour surgery
https://news.sky.com/story/israel-one-year-old-twins-conjoined-at-the-head-are-separated-after-12-hour-surgery-12399447
The Times of Israel — UK Muslim doctor delights in helping separate Jewish Israeli conjoined twins
https://www.timesofisrael.com/uk-muslim-doctor-busts-boundaries-helps-separate-jewish-israeli-conjoined-twins/
Fox News — Twins once attached at head released from hospital after successful separation surgery
https://www.foxnews.com/health/twins-once-attached-head-released-hospital-after-successful-separation-surgery