Maria Onya Martins was shocked to find out she was pregnant with conjoined twins, and terrified that she wouldn’t be able to afford the expensive surgery to help her babies safely detach.
Twins are born roughly every 1 in 1,000 births, while conjoined twins are so rare they’re only born every in 60,000 or so.
Interestingly, it is estimated that 70% of conjoined twins are girls, and tragically most of them are born stillborn.
For Maria, her girls were born otherwise healthy but needed immediate surgery to separate them.
The twins were joined from the chest and abdomen, sharing a liver and diaphragm, making it a very difficult procedure.
The estimated cost of such a high-risk and invasive surgery averages about $50,000 USD and Maria’s family was unable to take on such an expensive burden.
Fortunately, sixteen months after they were born, a group of doctors in Nigeria offered to perform the surgery for free!
78 doctors in total gave their professional expertise to the project in some way or another.
They performed a grueling 13-hour surgery, that required the expertise of pediatric doctors, cardiologists, plastic surgeons, dermatologists, nurses, and various support staff to achieve.
“This is a demonstration of excellent team work, which also shows that with confidence in the health sector, we can do great things in Nigeria.” – The Minister of Health, Nigeria
In the end, they safely separated the two girls, Goodness and Mercy Martins, giving them a better chance to enjoy a healthy, full and capable life.
Maria says when she first found out about her conjoined twins, she thought she was cursed and less of a woman.
She didn’t know conjoined twins were a possibility, but felt much better when the doctors explained it to her in medical terms and promised that they would do whatever they could to separate the girls.
“My husband, my entire family, we are very relieved… We could not get or make up that money. Very relieved, very happy,” she said.
The doctors were very proud to have successfully completed the procedure in Nigeria – making it so that Maria and her family did not have to travel outside of the country to receive the medical help they needed.
Needless to say, if they needed to travel, the cost would have been exponentially higher.
The girls have now been safely separated but will require medical assistance and check-ups for a long time to come.
Because they were born with one liver and one diaphragm, their health will need to be monitored to see how they progress as they grow up.
Luckily, the team in Nigeria will be there for the girls and their family, surely following up to make sure they get the help they need.
Maria Onya Martins has even reached out to the government for assistance. The surgery was one thing, but the follow-up appointments will be another.
For now, their family is just happy that the girls have been separated safely, and are on their way to recovery and a bright future.
What a blessing for Maria and her family that these 78 doctors were able to offer their help for free. Now her girls will be able to experience life independently and in good health.
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