CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A pair of formerly-conjoined South Texas twins are still closer than ever, five years after their groundbreaking separation surgery.
That surgery was conducted at Driscoll Children’s Hospital in Corpus Christi on April 12, 2016, according to hospital officials.
Surgeons separated the conjoined twins, Scarlett and Ximena Torres, of Brownsville, in a triplet birth, which is extremely rare. In fact, the odds of this happening are about one in 50 million births, according to hospital officials.
The procedure was conducted by 14 surgeons and a staff of medical professionals that were “ready to do whatever had to be done to offer the hope of a normal life to the conjoined twins,” the hospital said in a statement.
The surgery began at 8:37 a.m., on April 12, 2016, and concluded at 8:47 p.m., according to hospital staff. The conjoined twins were joined together below the waist and they shared a colon and bladders.
Hospital officials said the operation included staff from several specialties, including pediatric surgery, plastic surgery, urology, orthopedics and anesthesia.
Both Scarlett and Ximena were released from Driscoll Children’s Hospital on May 18, 2016 and they then returned to the Rio Grande Valley.
“We let the parents know from the start that this was going to be a lifelong relationship. It wasn’t going to be a one-and-done surgery. The girls are going to have ongoing medical needs,” said Dr. Patel in a statement.
Five years later in 2020, the now-separated twins are living their normal lives to the fullest.
The sisters, their triplet, Catalina, and their younger sister, Lucia Ambriz, visited the clinic for a routine check-up. Dr. Patel said the sisters essentially run the place.
“They’ve got free rein here,” said Dr. Patel in a release. “They are part of the family.”
Hospital officials said the pair will likely face upcoming medical challenges, but they believe they’ll encounter them with a smile on their faces.
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