After 13 years, formerly conjoined twins Teresita and Josie Alvarez returned to Mattel Children's Hospital at the University of California Los Angeles. The twins, known as "Las Dos Marias," visited the staff who conducted the 23-hour operation that separated them in 2002.
The twins were a year old when the successful operation took place. The now 14-year-old twins and their adoptive moms decorated the rooms of some patients who will spend Christmas at the Los Angeles hospital. Dr. Barbara Van De Wiele, who helped in the girls' surgery, commended on the twins' charitable actions.
The twins were connected at the membrane and the skull. Doctors found that the twins' blood vessels, which transport oxygen to the brain, were also tangled together. Apart from the 23-hour operation, it took 40 people to keep then one-year-old Josie and Teresita alive.
A community had formed to help with the twins' survival and many people still keep up with news about them. Dr. Jorge Lazareff was the hospital's pediatric neurosurgery director when the twins were separated.
"I know everybody who has been involved and they frequently ask about them. They have not been forgotten," said Lazareff.
Originally from Guatemala, the twins returned home after their operation, but they had a rough start. Teresita contracted meningitis that left her very ill. Their family and doctors in Guatemela were not able to provide the same medical care the twins received in the U.S.
The twins returned to the U.S. so they could be close to the medical community that helped them. Due to her meningitis complications, Teresita could no longer speak, but remains active in sports and extracurricular activities such as horseback riding.
Josie and Teresita now live in the U.S. with separate adoptive families. The twins continue to do things together. Their families are planning a joint Quinceanera or 15th birthday party for the girls next year.
Teresita and Josie speak regularly with their birth parents who live in Guatemala and their doctors, including Lazareff who see them every year during their birthday. The twins are kept close so they can continue to work on their innate communication skills.
"[Maria de Jesus] or Josie is fully aware of Teresita's needs. There is a sibling [connection] ... of moving towards and protecting her," added Lazareff.
