Good News Story

From USA Today:

HOUSTON (AP) — For a set of Texas twins, being joined at the hip is not just a cliche — that was basically the first 10 months of their life.

On Tuesday, Emily and Caitlin Copeland, who were born conjoined at the liver, are celebrating their 18th birthday by enjoying the success of a separation surgery that has allowed them to lead normal lives and graduate as co-valedictorians from Lutheran High North in Houston.

“I think for anyone it’s exciting to get to 18, but in particular for us I think it’s just a really big blessing that we got to 18, considering what could have happened,” Caitlin said.

Crystal Copeland, the twins’ mother, nods. She will never forget the day she learned she was pregnant with conjoined twins, a phenomenon that occurs once in every 200,000 live births. Between 40% and 60% are stillborn, and some 35% survive one day.

And in late 1996, surgery and imaging were not as advanced.

“At the time, if you Googled conjoined twins all you got was circus acts and babies that died,” Copeland said.

It was a Friday when Copeland first spoke to Dr. Kevin Lally, surgeon in chief at Hermann Memorial Children’s Hospital in Houston. He promised to provide an honest assessment of the chances for survival.

The babies were kicking. Copeland had seen them in an ultrasound. To her, they were alive and well. That weekend, she said, was the hardest in her life. [Read more at link above.]