Marieme and Ndeye were not expected to survive and were thus known nationwide for more than a few days when they were born into the world of living. Meanwhile, and currently aged seven, they are thought to be the only growing conjoined twins in Europe. Amazing.
Notably, despite having distinct personalities and moods of their own, the two girls depend on one another to survive.
Excellently quoting from the father of the twins, “When you are told from the beginning there is no future, you just live for the present,” said their dad, Ibrahima.
Surprisingly, and as internationally observed, it was highly noted that conjoined twins are rare, representing about one in every 500,000 live births in the UK.
In this case, seeing Marieme and Ndeye celebrate their seventh birthday with a class of friends doesn’t just give Ibrahima joy, but also to the doctors who have cared for them.
Marieme and Ndeye are known to share exceptionally one pair of legs and one pelvis, but each has a spinal cord and a heart.
Also, they are noted to have round-the-clock care but go to a mainstream school in South Wales with their friends. Amazingly, too, and according to Ibrahima, that’s their father. “They are fighters, proving everyone wrong,” she claimed strongly.
In quote, “noting my daughters are very different and exceptional, and I am still happy to have them as they came with full natural endowment. Marieme is very quiet and has an introverted personality, but it’s completely different with Ndeye, who is known to be very independent and exceptional.
Shockingly, he again said that “it is apparently a tremendous privilege, but I would not say it is easy. You feel lucky to witness this constant battle for life, so simple but really real.”
However, it was noted that when the twins were born in Senegal in 2016, their parents had been expecting one baby. The prognosis for them was only a few days to a few weeks.
“I was basically, preparing myself to lose them very quickly,” Ibrahima told the BBC’s Inseparable Sisters documentary. Apparently noted earlier in the aforementioned.
The only thing we could really do was walk by their side and make sure they did not have to go through this journey alone. We saw very clearly early on that we were dealing with warriors, who hang on to life.”
Their best chance of survival was believed to be separation.
Life was actually not an easy race for us at all, especially for my family. In 2017, the family traveled to the UK for treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. I have been “begging” a few hospitals around the world for assistance.
Ibrahima was noted to be a real man of faith and has hoped that the renowned children’s hospital, which had separated more conjoined twins than anywhere in the world, would be able to separate them and that they could go back home to their brothers and sisters in Dakar, but it didn’t work out that way.
Medical and thorough cross-medicinal tests found that Marianne’s heart was too weak for the complex surgery.
The medical practioners, however, also warned the family that, without separation, neither daughter may survive more than a few months.
Notably, based on the experience, doctors advised that separation would give Ndeye the best chance of survival.
“It was killing one of my children for another; it’s something I can’t do,” Ibrahima said at the time.
“I can’t allow myself to choose who will live and who will die now,” he said.
For medical reasons, their mother went back to Africa to care for their other children, but Marieme, Ndeye, and Ibrahima stayed in the UK and relocated to Cardiff.
Conjoined twins, aged seven, were reported to have had an encouraging glimpse into their lives, despite their short odds of survival.
Meanwhile, “He proceeded to say that not being able to go back home was very difficult because you had the rest of your family and your job back home,” said Ibrahima, who is the former managing director of a travel organization in Senegal.
“I just followed my heart and did not give it much thought—even though it was into the unknown. Meanwhile, it is my parental responsibility as a man to make sure they will have somebody who will be here for them; that will be my life purpose.”
Due to their significant risk of infection and heart failure, the twins require routine hospital examinations.
The University Hospital of Wales’ consultant paediatrician, Dr. Gillian Body, described her initial reaction as being a bit of novel excitement, followed by the realization that this was something she had only ever read about in textbooks.
“They’ve got one pair of legs between them and one pelvis. As we move up through their abdomens, we’ve got a lot of different organs, surprisingly. Although the details are unknown, we do know that they have some unique parts and some shared parts.
“Despite having two distinct spinal cords carrying all of their nerves, they are able to fully coordinate and do not need to communicate with one another in order to move an arm or a leg—it just works.”
Clothing the twins is challenging.
As a man of the twins, Ibrahima remarked, “Apparently, you have to buy two identical tops which is a must and you are obliged to take them to the alterations shop to join them together.”
“They can wear regular pants because they have two legs, but you also need to take them to the alternations shop because of their extremely wide hips.”
The twins are now cared for day and night by caregivers, while Dad receives support during his occasional breaks. The family has now fully assimilated into the Cardiff community.
To be precise, the children are in year three at their local mainstream primary school, where the sisters are helped by two classroom support workers.
Ibrahima stated, “I want them to have a normal life, play and laugh with kids, make friends, and grow as individuals.”
“They are fortunate to be a part of this community and do not have to hide from anyone; attending a mainstream school demonstrates their social inclusion.”
The next challenge for Marieme and Ndeye is to try to stand and walk. They are currently managing about 20 minutes each day with the help of a standing frame.
“In deed and naturally, they are endowed and have achieved things that nobody thought they would,” said Ibrahima.
“Hmmm, he laments complaining that when you’re told from the beginning there is no future, you live for the present,” he added.
“Also, I know and am certainly aware that at any time, I can receive a call to say that something bad has happened.
“How long? I don’t want to know. He was very much of the belief that we would make every day an adventure and celebrate life.
Even though you are facing challenges, you still feel fortunate, which can be contradictory. They are bringing me such joy. This is actually a huge blessing to be their dad.”
