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Forty years on, a woman separated from her conjoined twin in a groundbreaking surgery has reunited with the doctors who made her life possible.
In 1985, Jill Reich gave birth to twins Holly and Carly, who were joined from breastbone to belly button.
Just days later, a team of 26 clinicians, led by surgeons Lewis Spitz and Edward Kiely, embarked on a nine-hour operation at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London to separate the infants.
While the separation was successful, Carly died of heart complications six weeks later.
Holly had 10 subsequent operations and a year-long stay at Great Ormond Street.
Now known as Holly Queiroz and living in Texas in the United States, she has maintained contact with Professor Spitz over the years, even attending his retirement celebration in 2004.
In a heartwarming reunion ahead of her 40th birthday, Ms Queiroz reconnected with both Professor Spitz and Mr Kiely via video call, marking the first time she had spoken with the latter in two decades.
The surgeons extended their birthday wishes to Ms Queiroz.
Ms Queiroz said: “I’m very grateful to Professor Spitz and Mr Kiely, and thankful that in a small way I helped them learn when they did our separation, so that so many children were able to live.
“It’s incredible to think what my parents went through. I know that my mum felt that Great Ormond Street Hospital and Professor Spitz, Mr Kiely and all the nurses there became family because we were there for the year, and that was really wonderful.
“I wanted to say thank you to them both, I truly am alive because of them and I know it was a whole different world 40 years ago, and things were quite new in this realm, but God bless them for having the knowledge and the ability.
“I am so thankful for them both because I have been able to live a really beautiful life and it wouldn’t have happened without them.”
Since the operation, teams at Great Ormond Street Hospital have cared for 43 sets of conjoined twins – thought to be the most conjoined twins in the world at a single hospital.
Describing the first operation on Holly and Carly, Professor Spitz said: “We had never done it before, so it was unique and it was an emergency. I was certainly nervous.
“When we started we had ultrasound but no CT, no MRI and so we were going in blind, we just had to do the operation.
“We had a cardiac surgeon with us in case they were joined at the heart.
“Imaging has been one of the biggest changes.
“It’s great when we get to see them again, it makes you realise we saved their lives and you get to hear how they are doing and feel so proud.”
Mr Kiely said: “At the time it was new, but it was actually just a major operation and we were doing lots of of major operations so I wouldn’t say we were overwhelmed, but we were very aware that two babies were at risk.
“A lot of people were involved and they were all important as they allowed us to do the separation.
“Looking back, the improvements in anaesthesia and intensive care have made the biggest difference.
“When you’re a paediatric surgeon, you’re dealing with children and hoping they’ll have another 70 years to go.
“You are trying to maximise their potential and hope you are setting them up to ease their travel through life.”
Mr Kiely and Professor Spitz worked at Great Ormond Street Hospital for more than 25 years.
Source: independent.co.uk
