The Australian twins born with one body and two faces have died after clinging onto life for 19 days.
Newborns Faith and Hope outwardly appeared to be one child, except that their single head had two faces and enclosed two brains. The twins were born six weeks premature on May 8 after parents Renee Young and Simon Howie ignored advice to terminate their clearly conjoined babies.
Mr Howie said: “We sort of looked at it as; it’d be the same as being a child with autism or Downs syndrome. I sort of don’t believe in terminating the baby if it’s healthy and growing fine and everything is going to plan.”
The babies suffered from an extremely rare condition called craniofacial duplication, or diprosopus. Fewer than forty such cases have ever been recorded. Specialists cast doubt over whether unaided respiration would be feasible but their mother appeared happy to cherish whatever time she could have with them, telling journalists: “If I only get two days with the baby I only get two days. I’ll at least have some time with her,” suggesting at the time that she viewed the twins as a single birth. Partner Simon was altogether more upbeat; telling reporters he couldn’t wait for the new arrivals to leave hospital and be at home with the couple’s other seven children. Specialists told the parents that the babies would have a reasonable chance of surviving if they got past the five week milestone.
Shortly before the twins died, mother Renee told an interviewer on an Australian news channel: “Sometimes Faith will cry and wake Hope up, who then looks sideways as if to say, ‘Thanks for that’ (…) We are blessed we’ve got this far. I just find them adorable”.
As news of the deaths broke, social media sites creaked under the weight of tributes worldwide. Musician Mitchell Anderson echoed the sentiments of many with: ‘Hope and Faith you have touched so many peoples hearts. Bless you both and your mum and dad. Lots of love to you all. Xxxxx’
