Once conjoined, twins now thriving

PALO ALTO, Calif., May 1 (UPI) -- Two California 2-year-old twins who had been conjoined at birth are thriving six months after being separated in an operation, doctors say.

Angelica and Angelina Sabuco had been born joined at the chest and abdomen and shared their livers, diaphragms and breast bones, the San Jose Mercury News reported.

Doctors involved in the surgery that separated the girls at Stanford University's Lucile Packard Children's Hospital say they have recovered remarkably well and have had no post-surgery infections.

They'll be monitored as they grow for at least a decade and will need some plastic surgery for their breast plates but no other operations are planned, the Mercury News said.

"Now the problem their mother has is keeping track of them," said Dr. Gary Hartman, the lead surgeon, who has done six operations separating conjoined twins. "Now, they're running in opposite directions."

The girls' mother, Ginady Sabuco, said they cherish their independence, now that they no longer have to walk sideways, sleep on top of each other or hit each other with an elbow as they eat.

And, the mother said, "My angels can now play normally like other kids."

"We're very thankful to the Lord," said the girls' uncle, Roger Agcanas. "It's a miracle. It's just like nothing happened to them. It's like they had never been conjoined."