Bangalore:
Two baby girls from Nigeria are on a visit to Bangalore that has changed their lives. Peace and Patience were brought by their parents to India last month - so that the nine month old conjoined twins could be surgically separated.
The parents came to Bangalore with hope in their hearts - it had been so difficult for them to watch their little girls struggle.
"I find it difficult to bathe them, carry them and take care of them - it is not easy. They want to get up - they try to sit, but they can't sit. They try to stand but they can't stand because of their condition," said Comfort Adugbe, their mother.
A team of 24 doctors, nurses and operating room assistants worked together for 10 hours earlier this week on the delicate task of separating the little ones. The babies were joined at the abdomen and shared a liver, gall bladder and upper intestine.
After the surgery, Dr. Ashley D'Cruz, Senior consultant pediatric surgeon, Narayana Hrudayalaya Woman and Child Institute said, "With the help of all the team members - Peace and Patience are separated. They are both doing very well, the operation went very well."
The parents of the young ones are overjoyed.
Emmanuel Adugbe, the father of the twins, said, "I am very, very ,very, very happy. I am the happiest man on earth today. I thank the management of this hospital - Dr Ashley and his team - the good people of India, my Nigeria."
A new chapter begins in the life of the Adugbe family - as the twins have been given a chance for healthy, normal lives.