Formerly conjoined twins go home after 6-hour surgery to separate them

(NEW YORK) — Twin sisters who were born conjoined at the abdomen are now home, one month after a successful surgery to separate them.

Ella Grace and Eliza Faith Fuller were discharged on Tuesday from Texas Children’s Hospital, where they had been cared for in the neo-natal intensive care unit since their birth in March.

“It’s hard to explain in words exactly how excited we are,” the twins’ dad Jesse Fuller said in a video shared by Texas Children’s Hospital. “It’s been 134 days, so the feelings are overwhelming.”

The twins’ mom Sandy Fuller said she was “completely shocked” when she found out she was pregnant with twins. She described it as a “hard and difficult” time when she and her husband found out their twin daughters were conjoined.

“[When] we found out they were conjoined, it was hard and difficult, but we trusted that God was going to work in the entire journey, so it was OK,” she said.

Sandy Fuller gave birth to Ella and Eliza on March 1 at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women. The girls each weighed 5 pounds, 10 ounces at birth.

In addition to sharing an abdomen, the sisters also shared liver tissues, according to the hospital.

As Ella and Eliza spent the next three months being cared for in the NICU, a team of 17 medical professionals, including seven surgeons and four anesthesiologists, prepared for their complex separation surgery.

“Our team began planning and preparing for this operation before these babies were even born,” Dr. Alice King, the lead surgeon on the operation and a pediatric surgeon at Texas Children’s Hospital, said in a statement. “From conducting simulations of the procedure, to collaborating extensively with our colleagues in anesthesiology, maternal-fetal medicine, neonatology and radiology, we have all been working together to achieve one common goal: the best outcome for Ella and Eliza.”

On June 14, Ella and Eliza were separated in a surgery that lasted around six hours, according to the hospital.

Three days after the surgery, Sandy and Jesse Fuller, who are also parents to an older daughter, were able to hold Ella and Eliza separately for the first time.

“I think you can look at them and just see God’s goodness and how kind he’s been to us, because they’re true miracles since day one,” said Sandy Fuller.

Conjoined twins occur once in every 50,000 to 60,000 births, according to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

The Fullers said the only way so far to tell their daughters’ apart is by a “small flat spot” that Ella has on one ear.

They added that even with all they’ve been through, they’ve also seen their daughters grow their own personalities over their first six months of life.

“We say Ella is just sassy with a little bit of drama,” said Sandy Fuller. “Eliza is just more laid-back, goes with the flow. But they’re both such sweet, happy babies”

The twins will continue their recovery at home. Doctors expect them to make a full recovery.

“I know it’s going to be another chaotic moment once we get home, but we’re excited about that chaotic moment,” Jesse Fuller said. “I’m kind of bracing myself because I know it’s going to be a wild house pretty soon, but I’m excited.”