In 2006, two very special girls came into this world, whom their parents were looking forward to. Isabel and Abby spent the first six months of their lives in the hospital. All this time, the little ones were inseparable, and not only because they were sisters.When the girls were born, their dad Jesse and mom Amy Carlsen already knew that they were special. Isabelle and Abby were Siamese twins, joined at the chest and abdomen. The condition of the girls, who quickly became known throughout Minnesota, was extremely rare, and doctors began to look for a way to safely separate.
At the same time, the birth of rare twins has received a lot of attention from the media. After more than six months of discussions and consultations with doctors, Jesse and Amy finally decided to have surgery.The situation was greatly complicated by the fact that Isabella’s heart was in Abby’s chest, which shared several other organs with her sister. The parents had to make a difficult decision: to allow doctors to perform a surgical operation to separate the girls.
After more than six months of discussions and consultations with doctors, Jesse and Amy finally decided to have surgery.
A 12-hour operation involving 17 surgeons was performed at the prestigious Mayo Clinic.Fortunately, despite the fact that the operation was accompanied by great risks, it was successful. For the family, the waiting hours seemed like an eternity, but after two weeks the twin sisters were able to return home.
As doctors say, a miracle helped the girls.Today, 12 years have passed since the procedure for separating them was the most discussed at that time. Unfortunately, they do not remember how the girls lived before the operation. They are, of course, two completely different personalities, but for those who know them, they are inseparable, like twins.Ten years after the operation, the girls took part in a television interview.
They live with their family in Mandan, North Dakota, and have moved on to the fourth grade. They are very close, although they wear different styles of clothes and have different tastes. As Abby says, they are two different people who like different things.
«Every time we look in the mirror and ask each other: how can people confuse us?» Abby says.
It’s nice to see that after ten years, the miracle twins look and feel great. And it’s not just that they had to go through a difficult operation. It is important that the procedure itself in no way affected the quality of their lives. Both girls are healthy, happy, and doing well at school!
