The formerly conjoined Ayeni twins celebrated their first
Christmas as separated twins after a successful operation
in the United States of America. Miracle and Testimony
Ayeni, from Nigeria, were conjoined at the pelvis.
The girls, who turned one today, underwent an 18-hour
operation at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis,
Tennessee, on November 7 and 8.
They arrived in the US on June 28 with their parents
Samuel Olusegun Ayeni and Mary Abiodun Ayeni, their
older sister, and their pastor after being offered free
flights from a Nigerian airline Arik Air.
It was their only hope at separating the girls, after trying
and failing to find a hospital nearby that could carry out
the operation. Finally, after months of research, they were
referred to Le Bonheur, whose surgeons offered to do the
life-saving operation free of charge.
The incredibly delicate operation to separate Jadon and
Anias McDonald took 27 hours, and the lead surgeon has
admitted he considered stopping halfway through.
