Twins Ballenie and Bellanie Camacho were born conjoined at the lower back in the Dominican Republic. At 11-months-old, surgeons in New York City decided that it was possible to separate the twins, but it would be difficult. You have to hear their incredible story...
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Meet twins Ballenie and Bellanie Camacho. In this photo, the 11-month-old twins were connected at the lower back.
I know, right?
Adorable.
When mother Laurilin Celadilla Marte, 24, and father Marino Abel Camacho arrived to the hospital for their twin daughter's birth, they had no idea they were conjoined.
"In that moment when the doctor had them in his hands, he said, 'Blessed be God, they are Siamese twins," explained Laurilin in an interview with TODAY. "I said, 'well, God, they are yours.' " she added.
Unfortunately, the smaller of the twins, Ballenie, had a congenital heart condition that could threaten her life.
The twins would have to travel to Maria Fareri Children's Hospital to gain access to the specialists that would be able to determine if they could be separated.
As doctors investigated the nature of the twins' connection, they discovered some interesting things.
This 3D model was constructed using both CT and MRI scans by doctors to visualize the twins' connection.
Pictured here is Dr. Samir Pandya explaining the nature of the connection between the twins.
The spinal cord in each baby merged at the lower back. The team of surgeons decided that separation was worth trying, but the surgery would be a long one.
After months of preparation, the day had come to separate Ballenie and Bellanie.
Here is Marino lifting the girls together as one for one of the last times.
Cameras caught this tender moment of everyone in the family moments before they were taken away for surgery.
Laurilin and Marino would have to wait a grueling 22 hours.
Here is a shot of the busy operating room. You may also see the jubilant thumbs up from this doctor not long after the separation took place.
"Things went really well," said Dr. Samir Pandya. "It was an overwhelming sensation that I don't think any one of us is going to experience again," he added.
You have to see the twins now!
Here are the happy parents saying hi to their daughters after the successful surgery.
Let's see some more photos of the ecstatic parents...
Here is Laurilin in complete joy talking to one of her babies.
"I want to see my daughters healthy and independent. I want them to go to school, for them to play freely. Even if it's in a wheelchair, anything, but with their freedom and independence," expressed Laurilin.
So what is the first thing the family plans to do with their newfound freedom?
"The first thing we'll do is go to the beach," Marino said.
It's great to see such a harrowing medical situation turn out so well!
Kudos to the team of doctors and nurses at Maria Fareri Children's Hospital for their incredible work.
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