Australian conjoined twins lose fight for life

Twins born in Sydney, Australia, with one body and one head but two identical faces have died.

13:19 27 May 2014

Australian conjoined twins, Hope and Faith, who shared the same body and internal organs, have died. Born six weeks prematurely via emergency caesarean section on May 08, the twins had separate brains in one skull. Their parents, Simon Howie and Renee Young had been told early on about the situation and despite advice from some doctors, they decided to go through with the birth. 

 

Ms Young, speaking on the Australian TV programme A Current Affair, said: "If I only get two days with the baby I only get two days. I'll at least have some time with her."

 

Meanwhile, maternal fetal specialist Dr Greg Kesby, who was one of the doctors who warned the couple about the difficulty the twins may face before they were even born, said: "I think one of the biggest risks to this baby, in terms of surviving, is its ability to breathe on its own.”

 

"I think there are going to be a lot of challenges afterwards related to the way the brains develop.

 

"That's going to pose you lots of problems. That is the reality. The baby comes out and after a little while struggles, you've got to have that discussion, how far do you take things."