1995-1999

A look at 95 reported births of conjoined twins (66 sets of girls, 25 sets of boys, 1 set of unknown gender) between the years 1995-1999. Cases are shown in chronological order.

Conjoined sisters Aina-Safir and Aida-Safar Basri are born in Malaysia on October 28, 1994 and separated on February 11, 1995. Aina-Safir dies on May 27.

Millie and Lucy Castillo, born joined at the chest on December 29, 1994 in the Dominican Republic, are separated in New York City in 1995. Millie dies 34 days after the operation.

Thoracopagus twin girls Nor Ain Dalila and Nor Ain Dalilah Yaakub are born in Malaysia on February 7, 1995.

Zandile and Zodwa Langa are born in South Africa on April 19, 1995. The omphalopagus twin sisters are separated on May 25. The operation is initially successful, but Zandile dies in November 1996.

Michelle and Nichelle Tejeda are born conjoined at the head in Texas on May 15, 1995. They are separated at St. David's Hospital in Austin on August 22, and Nichelle dies of a congenital herpes infection on September 8.

Thoracopagus twins Christine and Catherine Tomas are born in the Philippines on July 11, 1995.

María-José and José-María Ortigoza are born to Cinthya and Ramon Ortigoza of Paraguay on September, 3 1995. The pygopagus twin sisters are separated on July 9, 1996, but María-José succumbs to congenital health problems.

Omphalopagus twin girls are born in Latvia on September 20, 1995, and separated at the age of two days.

Doris Nicole and Bessy Alejandra Trujillo Gonzales are born in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, on September 23, 1995, conjoined at the top of the head. They are separated in Utah just ten days short of their first birthday. Although both girls survive surgery, they now suffer numerous complications. Doris is cognitively disabled, while Bessy is severely microcephalic, nonambulatory, and has seizures.

Omphalopagus twin sisters Miriam and Yara are born in Egypt on September 30, 1995, and separated soon after birth.

Dicephalus tetrabrachius twin boys, Jan and Pawel, along with a non-conjoined triplet brother, are born in Poland on October 8, 1995, but survive only a short while.

Thoraco-omphalopagus twin girls sharing a heart and liver are born in Moldova on November 8, 1995.

Hassan and Hussein Mammar are born in Kuwait on November 10, 1995. Joined at the chest, they are separated in London at the age of 6 days. One brother dies in surgery, while the other survives another six weeks.

Ischiopagus twin girls are born in Israel on December 3, 1996, and separated immediately after birth.

Geremias and Marcos Méndez are born in Guatemala on December 12, 1995. The omphalopagus twin boys, born sharing a single liver, are separated in Ohio on July 23, 1996.

Thoracopagus twin boys Jose Alfredo and Christopher Alexander are born in Chile on December 28, 1995, and separated on March 30, 1996.

The danger of infection among internal organs in conjoined twins is unfortunately shown in a set of twins in England as Chloe and Nicole Astbury succumb to an infection in 1996 despite doctor's efforts to save the pair. The two girls were born joined together at the breastbone and shared a liver and bowel.

Katherine Elaine Hope and Kathleen Elizabeth Faith Vogt are born in Galveston, Texas, on January 11, 1996. Dicephalus dibrachius twins with a single heart, they both pass away soon after birth. Their mother, Tamara Vogt, however, has developed a close friendship with Abigail and Brittany Hensel, who are joined in a similar fashion as her daughters.

Sarah and Sarahi Morales Espinoza are born in California on January 12, 1996, sharing a single heart. The thoracopagus twins are separated on January 25 and Sarahi dies soon after surgery.

A mother from Mexico gives birth in Chula Vista, California to twins Hever Aron and Roman Alan Moreno on May 16, 1996. Andrea and Ramon Moreno of Tijuana enter the United States illicitly after Sra. Moreno learns she is carrying conjoined twins. The boys are joined at the abdomen and share a liver and two kidneys, but have separate hearts and lungs. They undergo successful separation in San Diego on June 19.

Jose-Miguel and Juan-Carlos Galmanez Lopez are born in El Salvador on June 4, 1996, and undergo separation the next day. Sadly, neither boy survives.

On June 24, 1996, thoracopagus twin girls with the family name Hashim are born in Malaysia and survive for about one week.

In February of 1996, sisters Norma-Hafisah and Norma-Nafisah Aghnia are born in Indonesia, They are omphalopagus twins and are separated on September 11, 1996.

Also in February of 1996, the Awadallah family of Egypt gives birth to dicephalus dibrachius twin boys.

Thoracopagus twin sisters sharing a heart are born in Ireland on February 11, 1996. Both pass away on February 25.

The Loma Linda University Children's Hospital in Loma Linda, California performs its first successful separation, separating Shawna Leilani and Janelle Kiana Roderick on May 31, 1996, 30 days after the Prescott, Arizona family delivers the twins. The lead doctor in the surgery was Dr. Gibbs Andrews, who had been involved in two prior separations. The separated girls come through the operation with flying colors. The shows Joined at Birth and MSNBC Investigates: Conjoined Twins profile the Roderick family. The girls' grandparents have started a support group, Conjoined Twins International.

Guatemalan thoracopagus twins Melany and Stefany Alegria, born in June of 1996, are separated in Ohio on July 24, 1996.

Thoracopagus twin girls with one heart are born in Scotland on July 11, 1996, but survive only four days.

Thoracopagus twin girls are born to the Chek family of Arizona on July 25, 1996. They only live for six days.

Conjoined twins of unknown type, Ximena and Stefani Vidal, are born in Argentina on September 14, 1996, and pass away on December 22.

Thoracopagus twin boys, Gu Kin and Gu Qiao, are born in China on October 14, 1996, and undergo separation on November 11.

Thoracopagus twin boys with one heart, Cesar and Ernesto, are born in El Salvador on October 23, 1996. They are taken to the Texas Children's Hospital in Houston for evaluation, where it is determined that they cannot be separated.

Thoracopagus twin boys, Piyumali and Sandamali Rupasinghe, are born November 4, 1996, in Sri Lanka, but both die on November 17.

Omphalopagus twins Rodrigo Esteban and Cristián Mauricio Pérez Díaz are born November 12, 1996, in Chile.

Luis and Francisco Ibáñez are born in Chile on December 2, 1996. The twin brothers are joined at the chest, sharing a heart, and both pass away on Christmas Eve.

On December 26, 1996, ischiopagus twins Salma and Samya Fathy are born in Morocco. They undergo separation in Spain on April 28, 1998.

Malay twins Pang Wan Teng and Pang Wan See are born in 1997 and undergo successful separation in March of 1998. The sisters are ischiopagus tetrapus twins.

In 1997, neurospecialist Benjamin Carson of Johns Hopkins Medical Center travels to South Africa to aid in the separation of Luka and Joseph Banda. Born in Zambia on January 23, 1997, the brothers are joined at the back of the head but with their bodies rotated in opposite directions. They are separated with Dr. Carson's help on December 30, 1997 and later fitted with plastic prostheses to cover their brains. Today they survive with few complications and attend school in their native village.

Thoracopagus twin girls Rena and Reni are born in Indonesia on March 4, 1997, and separated in August.

Dominique and Diamond Legans are born in California on April 2, 1997, conjoined at the chest and sharing a heart.

Irish twins Niamh and Aoife McDonnell (pronounced "Neeve" and "Eefa") are born April 4, 1997. The omphalopagus sisters undergo successful separation in England on June 18.

Monde and Nomonde Mokoena are born to Johanna Mokoena in Vosloorus, South Africa on April 14, 1996. Joined at the abdomen, they are successfully separated on October 13, 1997. Sadly, the sisters remain in poor health due to malnutrition and inadequate follow-up care.

Rhassaney and Destiney Harrison, along with a non-conjoined identical triplet sister, are born in Iowa on May 7, 1997. Joined at the chest and sharing a heart, the Harrison twins sadly pass away on August 3.

Conjoined twin boys Vu Thi Dao and Vu Thi Diep are born in Vietnam on July 1, 1997. They undergo separation on August 8 but both die within two days of the operation.

Pygopagus twin sisters Heba and Samah are born in Saudi Arabia on August 8, 1997, but both die following an attempt to separate them soon after birth.

Siphi and Vuyo Momoti are born in South Africa on August 25, 1997. The boys are conjoined at the chest and share a heart. Siphi survives an attempted separation operation but Vuyo does not.

Thoracopagus twin girls with one heart are born in England on November 10, 1998, but sadly both die during an attempt to separate them the following day.

Hassan and Hussein al-Basrawi, ischiopagus tripus twins sharing a single set of male organs, are born in Saudi Arabia on November 13, 1997. Hussein suffers from a congenital heart defect and because of his poor prognosis, surgeons elect to give the male organs to his brother when the twins are separated on November 21, 1998. Sadly, Hussein succumbs to his health problems six months after surgery.

Cephalopagus or thoracopagus twin boys are born to the Jeremy family of Trinidad in 1998.

Ischiopagus tetrapus twin girls, Rekha and Surekha, are born in India on June 2, 1998, and successfully separated by Dr. Y. Nayudamma on October 23, 2002.

Conjoined sisters Sarah and Keren are born in North Carolina on July 8, 1998, but survive only a short while.

Also born sometime in 1998 are pygopagus twin sisters Izabella and Melinda Szabó of Romania. They undergo successful separation in Hungary on August 28, 1998.

Dicephalus twins with one heart are born in Costa Rica on August 29, 1998, but survive for just one day.

José and João Omar are born in the former Portuguese colony of Mozambique in southeast Africa in 1998. The brothers, ischiopagus twins, share just one set of male genitalia, so when Portuguese surgeons separate them on July 8, 1999, João is surgically made female and renamed Helena. The long-term outcome for these twins is unknown.

Gabriela and Rafaela Flores Nunes are born in Brazil on January 5, 1998. Thoracopagus twins, they are surgically separated at the age of six months. Rafaela passes away on August 9.

Pygopagus twins Agnes and Helen Paulo are born in Tanzania on February 4, 1998, and separated on May 28.

A rare type of conjoined twins are born on February 10, 1998, at the Loma Linda University Medical Center near Los Angeles, California with the birth of Gabrielle and Micheala Garcia Crowe, a pair of parapagus twins with just two legs between them. The girls are separated at eight months, on October 13, which is extremely rare in cases of conjoined twins with just two legs.

Rare parapagus tripus twins Ahmad and Muhamad Rosli are born in Malaysia on April 24, 1998. In 2002, English missionaries help the family to have the twins evaluated for surgery and to find a surgeon who will separate them. They undergo separation at Kind Abdulaziz Medical City in Saudi Arabia on September 17, 2002. Both brothers survive and, at last report, are developing well with their prosthetic legs. Surgeons are especially careful to preserve the sexual function of both twins so that both can someday become fathers.

Eka Dwi Apriliani and Eka Dwi Apriliana Misbachrudin are born in Yogya, Indonesia on April 29, 1998. Joined at the abdomen, the sisters die at 11 days while awaiting possible separation surgery.

Conjoined twin boys with a non-conjoined triplet sister are born to Sharad and Sharada Ahire of Mumbai, India on May 22, 1998. Joined at the chest and sharing a liver and pericardium, the brothers are separated in a 10-hour operation at P.D. Hinduja National Hospital two days after birth. The surgery is initially thought to be a success but both boys eventually succumb.

Anandya and Anindya Yoris Safadia are born conjoined at the chest and abdomen in Indonesia on June 1, 1998. The twin sisters undergo separation on May 25, 1999.

Chananthida and Jiyayu (or Chanyaporn) Khaensa are born in Thailand on June 9, 1998. The sisters are joined at the chest and share a single heart.

Dicephalus twin girls with one heart are born to the Nguygen family at Ho Chi Minh City Obstetric Clinic in Vietnam on June 22, 1998.

Twelve-day-old Ann-Belen and Laura-Noelia Cortéz of Argentina are separated on July 15, 1998.

Thoracopagus twin girls sharing a heart are born to Oliva Mariano Guadalupe, 24, of Mexico City on July 31, 1998, and transferred to National Medical Center for evaluation.

Conjoined brothers Peter and Joseph Olarte are born in the Philippines on November 20, 1998, but survive for only two days.

English sisters Hayley and Jessica Smith are born conjoined at the abdomen on November 14, 1998, and successfully separated just two days later.

Thoraco-omphalopagus twin boys, Yudan Ding-Ding and Yudan Dian-Dian are born in China on December 21, 1998, and undergo separation in Germany on February 3, 1999.

Hassan and Hussein Mohamed are born in the United Arab Emirates on December 16, 1998. The boys, who are joined at the chest and abdomen, are brought to Boston and successfully separated in April of 1999.

In addition to Wiktoria and Weronica (below), three other sets of conjoined twins are recorded in Poland in 1999. Sisters Dorota and Małgosia are born conjoined at the abdomen and chest with one heart. An unnamed set of boys are born in August with a non-conjoined triplet brother, and brothers Patryk and Kamil are born in October, connected at the chest and abdomen. Patryk and Kamil are surgically separated in March of 2000.

Turkish sisters Sedanur and Semanur Alkan, omphalopagus twins, are born in 1999 and undergo separation on June 13, 2000.

Mary-Grace and Mary-Joy Pacle are born in the Philippines on January 4, 1999. One sister dies during a separation attempt, while the other survives for another 13 hours before succumbing.

Ana-Victoria and Gloria Mendoza are born on Colombia on February 23, 1999. An attempt to separate them leads to the death of Ana-Victoria.

In February 1999, omphalopagus twins Lydia and Linda Awui are born in Ghana. They undergo separation on May 19, 1999.

Thoracopagus twin girls, sharing a single heart, are born to the Sequeira Tenório family of Nicaragua on April 18, 1999. The girls survive for just ten days.

Sisters Fatima and Amina Agunin are born in Morocco in May of 1999. Parapagus dipus twins with separate torsos but a single pair of legs, they are separated at La Paz Hospital in Madrid on February 14, 2001.

María-Paz and Milagros Roldán Martínez are born in Argentina on May 24, 1999. Separation on June 16 is initially successful, but María-Paz dies on September 7.

Jasmin and Nasmil Campusano Frias are born in the Dominican Republic on May 25, 1999. They are taken to New Jersey and undergo separation on January 10, 2000.

Weronika and Wiktoria Palen, born joined at the chest and abdomen on May 26, 1999, are successfully separated by a 12-person surgical team at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia on November 3. Both girls are doing well and have returned to their home in Poland.

A never-before seen type of conjoined twins is recorded in Boston, Massachusetts on May 30, 1999 with the birth of the Soto Twins from Puerto Rico. The two girls share one heart with the healthier twin, Darielis Milagro, pumping blood through the umbilical cord to her sister Sandra. It is decided to separate the babies immediately following their birth (if doctors had cut the umbilical cord both babies would have died), and Darielis survives the Children's Hospital of Boston surgery and is a healthy little girl living in New Jersey today. As expected, Sandra does not survive the surgery.

Colombian twins Lorena and Daniela are born on June 9, 1999. Connected at the chest and abdomen with one heart and liver between them, they both pass away in 2000.

Larissa and Lorrayne Gonçalves are born in Goiás, Brazil in July 1999. The ischiopagus tripus twins undergo separation at the Materno-Infantil Hospital on July 8, 2000.

Conjoined sisters Nur Siti Nadhila and Nur Siti Nabila Mohd are born in Taiwan on July 29, 1999 and pass away on August 20.

An Iranian woman, Mrs. Bahri, gives birth to conjoined girls on August 14, 1999.

California twins Kayla and Kyana Asuncion Bungacayo are born August 30, 1999. The omphalopagus sisters are successfully separated on September 9, 1999.

Omphalopagus twin boys Barkah and Slamet Sardi are born in Indonesia on September 12, 1999, and undergo separation on February 29, 2000.

A pair of pygopagus twin boys, Luis Angel and Luis Alberto, are born on Halloween, October 31, 1999 in Lima, Peru, to street merchants Omar and Janeth Patiño Quispe. The twins are cared for initially in Peru and then brought to Miami Children's Hospital in the United States for successful separation surgery on September 1, 2000.

Esther Alphonce and her twin sister, Stella, are born in Tanzania in November, 1999. The girls are successfully separated a year later but remain in poor health. Esther sadly passes away on February 22, 2003 of pneumonia and anemia due to malnutrition and poor medical care.

Ischio-omphalopagus twins are born to the Mwakikoti family of Tanzania on November 19, 1999 and abandoned at the Consolatha Fathers' Catholic Church, an Italian mission, in the village of Ikonda. The sisters are named Maria and Consolatha and cared for by the nuns at the mission. According to a 2004 report, the twins are in poor health due to lack of medical care.

Also on November 19, 1999, thoracopagus twin girls Hasna and Ihsane Tahiri are born in Morocco and later undergo separation.

Thoraco-omphalopagus twin sisters Antonella and Mariella are born in Argentina on November 30, 1999.

María Catherine and María Trinídad Gonzalez Alvarez are born in Mexico on December 26, 1999. Though born sharing a single heart, the thoracopagus twin sisters survive for nearly four years before finally succumbing on March 16, 2003.

[Back to Chronological Timeline of Conjoined Twins Timeline]