Born Joined But Later Separated By The Authorities 20 Years Later, Lisa And Mona Are Now Content Mothers Of Toddlers
This month, Mona and Lisa, who were born conjoined twins named Monalisa, celebrated 20 years of independence and more than a year as the mothers of healthy children. The twins, dubbed Monalisa by hospital nurses, shared a common liver, a portion of the small intestine, and the diaphragm, according to doctors and nurses who took part in the perilous eight-hour surgery to separate the six-month-old two decades ago.
It was the 27th successful separation of thoracic-omphalopagus twins worldwide—twins united at the chest and sharing a few ribs and internal organs—and the first successful procedure on conjoined twins in a state-run hospital in Bengal.
A group of 30 medical professionals led by pediatric surgeons Ashoke Kumar Ray and Mukherjee performed the intricate procedure.
Even though Mona and Lisa experienced severe postoperative complications, the medical professionals and paramedics were able to restore their health. On December 12, 2002, the twins were given to their parents, recalled Mukherjee, who retired in March from his position as head of the pediatric department at Burdwan Medical College. Mukherjee views the procedure to separate Mona and Lisa as the most noteworthy one in his 40-year career as a pediatric surgeon.
Mona and Lisa discovered from their parents much later in life that they were born conjoined before the doctors miraculously gave them new lives. As evidence, they have extensive abdominal scars.
Their father, Subhankar Bhattacharyya, said that on June 18, 2002, his daughters were delivered at a private hospital in Burdwan. Throughout their five-and-a-half-month hospital stay, the twins received specialized care from nurses in the surgical ward. One of the nurses gave the conjoined twins the name “Mona-Lisa.”
The twins’ surgery was scheduled for November 1 when, after a special diet, their weight was approximately 9 kg.
After Suryakanta Mishra, the former health minister, intervened, the hospital waived the over Rs 6 lakh treatment cost. At a private nursing home run by Prof. Subir Kr. Chatterjee in Kolkata, conjoined twins Ganga and Jamuna underwent their first successful separation procedure in 1986.
News Mania Desk
