ABC News aired the story of Allison and Amelia Tucker, two cojoined twins who are learning to live apart.
Self-study activity:
Watch the short video clip and say whether the statements below are true or false.
1 The twins have been separate half of their lives.
2 The parents were determined to terminate the pregnancy.
3 The operation to separate them took place in 2011.
4 The girls were 8 months old when they were separated.
Twins often say they feel half of a whole. For Allison and Amelia it will actually always be true.
Let's go.
For half of their lives, they were in a way one person, conjoined at the chest and abdomen, identical twins that didn't separate properly in the uterus, and their parents saw it coming on ultrasound.
I didn’t have any feelings except for a complete shock.
One doctor advised Shelly and Greg Tucker to terminate the pregnancy. But specialists at the children's hospital of Philadelphia thought the babies could survive and be separated.
We were so worried if the girls were going to be okay.
In March 2011 their beautiful conjoined twins were born into a world of medical uncertainty.
They came out screaming, and it was the most wonderful feeling…
Last year, when the girls were just 8 months old, a massive team of surgeons and nurses worked for hours to separate Allison and Amelia, making sure each would be able to survive.
At 3.40pm the girls were completely separated.
They seemed for the first time as two separate girls. It was really the most amazing feeling.
…she’s got hers
It's now been over a year, Allison and Amelia are thriving. They won't even remember their life before, their parents, of course, will never forget it.
I'm thankful every single day and I can't describe it. To see the girls and see them climb and get into things, as aggravated as they get, I can't help but laugh because they're an absolute miracle.
Shelley’s twin challenges are now a little more ordinary.
When people say, oh, are they twins, are they identical or what? And I like I say, you have no idea. It's been a crazy journey this last year, but one that I wouldn’t replace for anything.
For Good Morning America, dr Jennifer Ashton, ABC News, New York.
Key:
1T 2F 3F 4T
