Father of newborn conjoined twins appeals for help

[Kooshdakhaa]

Looking at this poor creature, and I refer to it in the singular form simply because of its cruelly pathetic reality, I'm wondering why no one has even vaguely mentioned the prospect of merciful euthanasia. Even if it survives, what sort of life can this tragic aberration expect to lead? I can't even imagine the tormenting routine of daily miseries it would be relegated to.

Even if its parents were wealthy and could afford to provide it with every conceivable comfort there is no question in my mind that it would be better off having died at birth.

Speaking of a 'heartless bitch' ^^^^^^^^

Are you thinking of the parents' pain, which is a totally selfish perspective, or of the future miseries of Nature's cruel accident?

If you were born with an attached sibling which could not be removed, do you believe you could possibly live without the constant and frequently agonizing wish you'd died or been euthanized at birth? What kind of life could you have? What could you do? Where could you go? What could possibly make you happy?

Give it some thought.

I know what you mean, Mike, but these guys did pretty good. They lived to be 63, were celebrities, married sisters and fathered a lot of children. Chang and Eng, because of them the term "siamese twins" was coined. Today they could have been successfully separated quite easily but back in 1811 when they were born it was not such a sure thing. They were going to have a doctor separate them when locals had an issue with them marrying the two women. But their fiances found out what they were up to and put a stop to it, afraid that one of them would die during the surgery.

They were born facing each other more, but their mother taught them to kind of stretch the tissue between them over time so they could stand side by side. Their mother refused to allow an attempt to separate them when they were born, fearful that one or both would die.

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

We do not see the full picture of any persons existence. I do not believe our life on earth is the full picture and I believe these children who we see seemingly suffer so much in their lives here, I simply believe God has wonders in store for them in Heaven that I cannot even begin to imagine.

I sincerely hope you are right, Sherri.

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

Here are Chang and Eng Bunker with their wives and two of their children. They had 22 children! Bunker is a last name they adopted for themselves at some point after settling in America. They made money touring themselves around and then bought a plantation. And yes, they owned slaves, they had 33 of them.

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

Three-day-old Palestinian conjoined twins Iman and Amani are treated in the West Bank city of Hebron after being delivered in Jerusalem with permission from the Israeli government.

The girls’ condition was seen in prenatal scans – they share one stomach and have two connected hearts – but their mother refused a termination because of her religious beliefs. The family now hopes Saudi Arabia will take the girls in and determine whether they can be separated
 Family of conjoined Palestine twins hope for help - International - Scotsman.com. We know their names now, Iman and Amani, and I read here Saudi Arabia may become involved to help the babies. And there is another photo I will post when I get back on my computer.

 

[whitehall]

What is this help stuff? If they share a heart separation is impossible without killing one child.

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

What is this help stuff? If they share a heart separation is impossible without killing one child.

whitehall, did you read any of the article Sherri posted links to? It is possible for both to live if one or both can get heart transplants. A mechanical heart can be used to tide them over until a heart is found. It is possible.

 

[Katzndogz]

If children's organs are hard to come by, the organs of newly born infants are even more rare. And, we really don't know the extent of conjoining. They might share more than the heart muscle itself, but the entire heart system. So it's not as easy as just shoving in a random heart.

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

If children's organs are hard to come by, the organs of newly born infants are even more rare. And, we really don't know the extent of conjoining. They might share more than the heart muscle itself, but the entire heart system. So it's not as easy as just shoving in a random heart.

Well, it's not ME personally who came up with the idea of heart transplants for these twins...it was medical people, and I'm sure they're aware of all the complexities.

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

I simply cannot imagine what this family is going through. And they have four other children to take care of. And they live a difficult life in a difficult place to live, in a difficult time, living as Palestinians and living under Israeli Occupation in Palestine.

Once I remember I was going through something difficult and someone said to me, a friend, a co-worker, a fellow Christian, she was all of these things to me, she said there but for the grace of God go I. I think about what she said a lot in the past 10 years or so of my life. No matter what we experience, others experience worse and whatever others experience, it could so easily be us experiencing those very same struggles.

When we care about these struggles others have and care about what happens to others, like these babies, , I feel like we feel Gods love for those hurting, I dont claim we feel all of it, the full force of it, but a piece of it we feel, and Gods compassion and hurting, hurting over our hurts and pains, we feel that too. And this is something to think about, our love and compassion we feel for those hurting, God feels that same love and compassion for each one of us. We are all special to God and loved by God.

I think all of us can see that the lives of these babies are touching lives.

And my prayers are with these babies and their families, and all the choices they may have to make.

Sherri

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

I can find no new developments, but more photos. I know it might seem strange coming from someone who does not know these babies or their family, but I cannot help but care about these babies and I see them as Blessings no matter what happens today or tomorrow or the next day. Conjoined twins born in West Bank city of Hebron - PhotoNews - Globaltimes.cn I will post these photos when I am back at my computer.

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

Types of conjoined twins

"Conjoined twins are typically classified by the point at which their bodies are joined. The most common types of conjoined twins are:Thoraco-omphalopagus*(28% of cases):[7]*Two bodies fused from the upper chest to the lower chest. These twins usually share a heart, and may also share the*liver*or part of the*digestive system.[8]Thoracopagus*(18.5%):[7]*Two bodies fused from the upper*thorax*to lower belly. The*heart*is always involved in these cases.[8]" Conjoined twins - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

What I just don't get, Sherry, is why, if God has such love and compassion for us He lets us suffer so?

He is all-powerful is He not? He could just change the rules if He wanted to, end this "game" of people living and suffering and dying and maybe going to Heaven or maybe going to Hell, but not knowing for sure and being expected to "have faith" and agonizing over their own end and the ends of their loved ones.

I just don't get that. I have compassion. If I see an animal suffering I take action to end its suffering. Why does God just let us suffer. Some people suffer horribly.

It almost seems like God is cruel. Why did He even create us, to toy with us?

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

Well, your questions we spent this morning discussing in my Sunday School class and I had this crying spell during Church, literally sitting through almost the entire service crying with tears and snot running down my face With no kleenex and witnessing a very deep message about Christians caring for others. A woman behind me I did not even know reached out and patted me on the back and asked me if I was OK. And after Church I showed her pictures of the babies and told her their story. Why must some suffer so ? Why is it them? Why them and not me? HOW do babies deserve this? What I was feeling, I want to try to explain. I START out singing in the Choir and it hits me, these babies are Blessings. I go sit down with the rest of the Choir leaving the area we sing in and I have to search for more news and see more pictures On my phone. And I just find myself hurting for them, I just feel so much pain, I cant stop it, its just pain and hurting and what do you do with it but let it out, feel it, embrace it. I kept looking at how perfect the babies were, except for being joined together. I think about my own twins, how for the longest time every day I felt so blessed because I went through so much before they were born. And I find myself thinking, every moment with these babies is a blessing to treasure, it must be that way for their parents. When life is fragile, its an opportunity to treasure it more, to be thankful for every moment we have with those God puts in our lives. And I am convinced those I shared the story of these babies with this morning, there was a purpose and plan God had in all of it. We dont see it now, we see through a glass darkly, our lives we live in this world. But one day, it will all be clear and boy I hope to see all these children God puts a passion in my heart to care about, I hope to see them all again one day and see all God had in store for them And understand it all, have answers to all the questions I struggle with.

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

Conjoined Gaza twins arrive in Saudi Arabia for separation surgery

Saudi King Abdullah said he will cover cost of surgery for first-known pair of Palestinian conjoined twins.

The first-known pair of Palestinian conjoined twins arrived in Saudi Arabia Tuesday for separation surgery 10 days after their birth, overcoming a particularly Gazan string of obstacles including a blockade, squabbling governments and even holidays.In the end, on Tuesday, Egyptian authorities authorized a rare opening of the country's Rafah crossing with Egypt so the girls, their parents and a medical team could cross. From northern Sinai, a special Saudi medical plane whisked them off to Saudi Arabia, where Saudi King Abdullah will foot the bill for their operation.Khaled al-Marghalani of the Saudi Health Ministry confirmed the twins had arrived and were on their way to the National Guard Hospital in the capital Riyadh.The two girls, Rital and Ritaj, were born in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis on March 27, joined at the chest and sharing small intestines. ( Conjoined Gaza twins arrive in Saudi Arabia for separation surgery - Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper) Each girl has her own heart, lungs and other organs, increasing chances they'll be able to survive separately, said doctor Ayman Abu Amouna, who oversaw their care in Gaza.

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

Saudi Arabia says Gaza conjoined twins have diedApr 10, 2010 12:00 PMThe conjoined Palestinian twins who made the long, difficult journey out of the blockaded Gaza Strip for treatment in Saudi Arabia died Saturday, the Saudi health minister said.Abdullah al-Rabeeah, who is also head of the medical team that was treating Rital and Ritaj, said the two could not be separated surgically because they had a bacterial infection in their chests and because their hearts, livers and digestive systems were intertwined.“Their situation worsened as the medical team had expected,’’ he said in a statement announcing their deaths.The two girls were born March 27 — the first ever in the impoverished Gaza Strip — and doctors there lacked the resources to treat them. They requested help from Saudi Arabia, which has world renowned facilities for separating conjoined twins.Saudi King Abdullah heard about the twins through the media and ordered they be brought to the kingdom for surgery. The king has funded such surgeries in the kingdom from other parts of the world.The twins ran into obstacles in getting there. They had to obtain passports from the rival Palestinian government in the West Bank, permission from Israel and approval from the Egyptian government to open the border out of Gaza. Boston.com

 

[Noomi]

^I already knew this would be the outcome. Sometimes it is best to let nature take its course, and nature had decided that these little girls would not be long for this world.

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

^I already knew this would be the outcome. Sometimes it is best to let nature take its course, and nature had decided that these little girls would not be long for this world.

That was the outcome of the first set of twins, in 2010. No more news about the babies discussed in the OP. But rereading some of the articles, I am concerned about their immediate health prospects, their ability to live as they are now.

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

Conjoined twins separated in groundbreaking surgery


Conjoined twin girls, who shared a liver and were joined at the abdomen, are expected to make a full recovery after Peruvian doctors separated them

This is the story of a successful separation of conjoined twins in Peru in May of 2013, there is supposed to be a video at the link but I could not access it on my computer,


Video: Conjoined twins separated in groundbreaking surgery - Telegraph

In this case, the twins had two separate hearts.


Sherri

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

. Here is a video of another set of twins successfully separated, from the Phillipines.