HOUSTON – Wednesday marks the one-year anniversary of historic surgery to separate conjoined twins at Texas Children's Hospital.
Knatalye Hope and Adeline Faith Mata, who turn 2 on April 11, now live in Littlefield, Texas, with their parents, Elysse and Eric, their 6-year-old brother Azariah and their 5-month-old sister, Mia.
The twins were born on April 11, 2014, via cesarean section. Three months earlier, Elysse learned that she was carrying conjoined twins. The family developed a plan to ensure a safe delivery and postnatal care.
The hospital put together a video in celebration of the girls' success.
During their historic separation surgery in February 2015, a team of more than 26 clinicians, including 12 surgeons, six anesthesiologists and eight surgical nurses, worked to separate the girls, who shared a chest wall, lungs, pericardial sac (the lining of the heart), diaphragm, liver, intestines, colon and pelvis.
The surgical team worked for approximately 23 hours on Knatalye and 26 hours on Adeline, with the official separation occurring approximately 18 hours into the surgery. Read more about the historic surgery here.
The family recently visited the hospital for follow-up appointments to monitor the girls' development. Both girls are doing well. Photos of the visit are below.
Knatalye is starting to walk and is learning to eat by mouth. The family is planning on an operation this summer to remove the metal struts that were used to stabilize her rib cage after the separation.
Adeline is undergoing speech and physical therapy and is working on eating as well.