An Australian woman has successfully given birth to a pair conjoined twins with one body and two brains and doctors are saying it's a miracle.
Renee Young and husband Simon Howie gave birth to their daughters on Thursday, six weeks before they were due. In an ultrasound weeks before, the couple had found out that the girls suffer from an extremely rare condition called diprosopus, which means they share the same vital organs and body, but have their own faces and brains. The parents decided to go ahead with the pregnancy despite their doctors' initial advice to terminate it. Now, medics have been left shocked by the twins' progress.
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Young gave birth to the girls, Faith and Hope, via emergency C-section last Thursday. According to reports, they are breathing on their own and feeding, but will have to stay in the hospital for observation for some time. Specialists are being called in to examine and assess the twins on everything, including the functioning of their lungs and blood vessels.
Diprosopus is a condition so rare, that only 35 cases have ever been recorded. Sadly, none have survived.
Still, Young and Howie are holding out hope and are just happy that their daughters are alive and progressing now. "I think they're beautiful and Simon thinks they're beautiful so really that's all that matters," Young told reporters.
Not every couple would've made the same decision these two did and many will disagree with them after the fact. Still, I can't help but give them credit for remaining strong and maintaining hope, even while not knowing how their daughters will progress. Whatever happens, it'll be a long hard, road for both the parents and the babies and I wish the entire family all the best of luck.
Image via Thinkstock, A Current Affair
