Family of Conjoined Twins Attached at the Forehead Desperate For Separation Surgery, But They May Die

International   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Sep 7, 2017   |   7:03PM   |   Washington, DC

A poor Filipino family of conjoined twin daughters recently made a desperate appeal for help paying for a risky surgery to separate the girls.

The Daily Mail reports 10-year-old twins Joy and Joyce Magsino are conjoined at the forehead, a condition known as angular frontal partial craniopagus.

Their parents, Patrick and Jomarie Magsino, described the girls as active and playful. They said it is difficult for the girls to be conjoined because of their age and level of activity.

“The twins have developed a great sense of understanding, but they occasionally fight over doing their preferred activities,” Patrick said. “Joyce has a cleft lip and is dominant of the two twins and usually manages to get her way in most situations.”

The Magsinos said a charity initially agreed to help pay for the girls’ separation surgery, but it later withdrew its support when it discovered how risky the operation would be.

Here’s more from the report:

Doctors told their family it is possible to separate the sisters but involves a risky operation, which caused a local charity to withdraw its earlier financial support.

The procedure costs £75,000 [about $98,000], which the family cannot afford on the twins’ father’s salary of £6 [about $8] a day. His wife has even emigrated to work abroad in an effort to save up, leaving the girls in the care of their relatives.

A family spokesperson said: ‘The doctors said the operation would be quite risky as one nerve connects the girls and it would have to be connected within seconds or else one of them would die. That is when the foundation withdrew their support.’

Patrick Magsino said they do not want to risk the girls’ lives but they also want them to be free and independent.

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“We have been trying hard to organized the funds for the past five years after the doctors confirmed that the girls can be separated, but we haven’t been able to garner even one third of it so far,” he said. “I am seeking help from hospitals in countries such as the UK, the US and India.

“I’d be open to any procedure where the safety of both my girls will be ensured,” he continued.

The report does not indicate if there is a fund or campaign of any kind to raise money for the girls’ medical needs.