What to Know
- Twin 11-month-old girls Ballenie and Bellanie were born attached at the lower back; they also shared a branch of one artery
- More than 50 medical professionals were involved in the effort to separate them successfully
- The babies will now spend several weeks in recovery, but are expected to do well
Two brave conjoined baby girls have come out of surgery fighting after enduring a grueling 21-hour separation procedure.
Twin 11-month-old girls Ballenie and Bellanie were born attached at the lower back, doctors said.
They also shared gastrointestinal connections and a branch of one artery.
But through a rare and complex surgery, the baby girls were successfully separated last week at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital at the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, New York.
The hospital said the process involved more than 50 medical professionals.
It is believed the separation procedure involved the first time in medical history some types of surgical work were performed, according to the hospital.
Local
Samir Pandya, one of the pediatric surgeons leading the surgical teams, said the surgery was full of challenges, but the girls would now have chances at better lives.
“Ballenie and Bellanie are as strong as they are beautiful and this dynamic duo is doing very well after a very long and complex surgery," Pandya said.
The twin babies were born in Moca, Dominican Republic, in February 2016.
A family friend referred parents Laurilin Celadilla Marte and Marino Abel Camacho to the specialists at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital after they were born and within a year the surgery was complete, the hospital said.
The babies will now spend several weeks in recovery, but are expected to do well.
