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Conjoined Twins Refuse to Be Separated Despite Doctor's Warnings

  

Category:  Health, Science & Technology

Via:  buzz-of-the-orient  •  7 years ago  •  17 comments

Conjoined Twins Refuse to Be Separated Despite Doctor's Warnings
When Carmen and Lupita Andrade were born, doctors said they only had three days to live.

S E E D E D   C O N T E N T



Conjoined Twins Refuse to Be Separated Despite Doctor's Warnings

People, April 22, 2017

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When Carmen and Lupita Andrade were born, doctors said they only had three days to live.

The conjoined twins, now 16, originally born in Mexico and now living in New Milford, Connecticut, defied those odds and lived far past doctors’ expectations.

Health problems have emerged and placed the girls’ futures at risk, but they tell the Hartford Courant they don’t see the point in a surgery that could end up killing them.

“There’s the whole psychological situation,” Carmen says. “Because we’ve been so used to being together. I don’t think there’d be a point.”

The girls were brought to the U.S. by their parents, who sought medical expertise for their daughters’ condition. Each of the girls has a heart, a set of arms, a set of lungs and a stomach.

But, they share some ribs, their circulatory system, and their digestive and reproductive systems. Doctors have told them that a surgery to separate them could end in serious neurological problems or death.

Despite these overwhelming obstacles, the girls have thrived at school and in their personal lives. Carmen told the Courant, “A lot of people don’t notice [how different we are], because when they first meet us, we kind of have the same reactions.”

She continued, “But our friends, once they get to know us, our friends literally tell us, You guys are so completely different,’ and I’m like, Well, yeah. We’re two different people.'”

Carmen adds that her sister has always been deeply involved in her life. “There’s been a person there... listening about my crap,” she says. “I guess [there’s] an emotional attachment to my sister.”

Despite Lupita only having 40 percent lung capacity, according to the Courant, and a severely curved spine, the sisters say they’d rather live their lives than run the risk of losing each other.

“There’s a lot more risk to it than it actually being beneficial so we...” Carmen begins.

“...decided not to [go through with a surgery],” Lupita finishes. “We’re just going to live out life and that’s it.”

This article was originally published on PEOPLE.com


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Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
link   seeder  Buzz of the Orient    7 years ago

Either this is fake new, or....I thought I've seen everything.

 
 
 
Randy
Sophomore Participates
link   Randy  replied to  Buzz of the Orient   7 years ago

If it's not fake news then I don't see any reason for them to have the risky surgery. They seem happy to be joined and why not? If you look at them they only have one set of legs. After the surgery who would be left with them? One each? It looks more to me that the surgery would consist more of slicing off the sister on their left (since she seems to be much smaller), thereby killing her, so that only one girl remains. They should stay as they are, though they are gong to have to find a very understanding husband. Or husbands. Or whoever.

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
link   seeder  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  Randy   7 years ago

"...they are gong to have to find a very understanding husband. Or husbands. Or whoever."

If they only have one set of legs, then they will only have one vagina between them, Somehow, in the circumstances, I'm not sure they will be able to find two husbands who will want to share. Think about it, if they conceive and have a baby, it will take a DNA test to determine who the father is (unless the husbands are of different races). Tell me, Randy, imagine that you are not happily married now, would YOU marry her (them)?

If they had only one husband between them, what would it be like if one of them became jealous of the other?  It could tear them apart (ooops. I don't think I meant that.)

 
 
 
Randy
Sophomore Participates
link   Randy  replied to  Buzz of the Orient   7 years ago

I would marry them, but the truth is that I am a very, very jealous man, so it would have to be just me married to them. But yes, I would. If it was just me. No sharing at all. The truth is I could never, ever understand "swingers". No one touches my wife like that except me. My second wife (who IMHO was a REAL FOX!) and I were offered more then a few chances (lots of pot, at that age (early 30's) close well meaning friends) a little wild, etc., but no. Never. We both recoiled, as nice as we could be, from the offers.

The truth is she was at the time and still is the BIG love of my life. She is still THE one. When she and I divorced, it took me more then 10 years to come out of the worst of the tailspin and I never really have. It damned near killed me.

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
link   seeder  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  Randy   7 years ago

I wonder if the law against polygamy would apply in this case? 

 
 
 
Randy
Sophomore Participates
link   Randy  replied to  Buzz of the Orient   7 years ago

That is an interesting question? I don't think it would apply because they are just one person from the waist down. I mean the "original Siamese Twins" (who really were not the first one every born of course, just the first famous ones in the Guinness Book of World Records) were just joined joined together by a flab of skin at the waist. Hell today they could have separated in in hour or so in an out-patient procedure. No big deal. If these girls were the same then I could see that they were more of two separate women and that it would be polygamy. However separating them would leave two (if they both survived) even more wildly deformed one legged women only one of which MIGHT have just a chance of having children and certainly only one of which could even have sex.

To tell the truth I think forcing them to be separated would be abusive to both.

 
 
 
Randy
Sophomore Participates
link   Randy  replied to  Randy   7 years ago

Sleep time. I have a 1pm doc appointment and I think the wife wants to go to lunch first and I STINK!, so I'll need to clean up after about 6 hours of shuteye. Night

 

 
 
 
Perrie Halpern R.A.
Professor Principal
link   Perrie Halpern R.A.  replied to  Randy   7 years ago

I have removed all the off topic comments per Buzz's request. Any further disruptions will result in CoC violations. 

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
link   seeder  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  Perrie Halpern R.A.   7 years ago

Thank you.

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
link   seeder  Buzz of the Orient    7 years ago

Holy shit. I thought the story was fake with a photoshopped photo, but as it turns out, IT'S TRUE.

 
 
 
Perrie Halpern R.A.
Professor Principal
link   Perrie Halpern R.A.    7 years ago

BTW, here is another famous two conjoined twins here in the US, who can't be separated and wouldn't want to. 

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
link   seeder  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  Perrie Halpern R.A.   7 years ago

What incredible challenges such twins must face, yet they seem quite happy.

 
 
 
Dowser
Sophomore Quiet
link   Dowser    7 years ago

I don't blame them for not wanting to be separated-- it doesn't seem that either one could have a life without the other one.  If they made this decision, who am I do dispute it?  I say, leave them alone and let them be together and happy!

 
 

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