Tough Decisions

The worried parents were anxiously waiting. They finally found a team of specialists who had experience with conjoined twins and had a high success rate.

The day of the surgery was finally here, and Joy and Roberto were a nervous wreck. The surgery was going to take 16 hours, and the outcome was uncertain. They said goodbye to their daughters and prayed for the best. They had to trust strangers, no matter how qualified, with their lives.

High-Risk Procedures

The surgery was a delicate and complex process. The doctors carefully separated the girl’s abdomen. The organs were next. The doctors and nurses worked tirelessly to ensure that they would be able to function independently.

Joy and Roberto were anxiously waiting outside the operating room, hoping and praying for good news. Why hadn’t anyone come out to talk to them yet?

Is It Good News

Finally, after 16 hours, the doctors emerged from the operating room, exhausted but with a smile on their faces. He looked tired and his eyes were red. Roberto called him over and asked if everything was okay.

The Doctors weak smile quickly changed to a frown. Joy jumped up and questioned the overworked Doctor, “Are my babies okay Doctor? Is Emily okay?”, her frantic eyes looking between the theater and the Doctor.

An Emotional Confrontation

The doctors informed them that little Emily was weak and her body was struggling to handle the stress of the operation. Joy’s heart froze, what was this Doctor telling her?

The doctor who had performed the surgery couldn’t hold back his tears. He had grown close to the family during the months leading up to the surgery and had become emotionally invested in their story.

There Is Something You’re Not Saying

They had successfully separated the twins! Joy and Roberto were overjoyed with the news, but their happiness was short-lived.

Joy had a motherly instinct that something was wrong. She made the Doctor sit down and searched his face for answers. He definitely had something else to say and Joy wanted to know if her baby girls were all okay.

Tragic News

He looked at Joy and said, “I’m so sorry Mrs. Joy, we did everything we could”. He hung his head in shame. The distraught Doctor felt a deep sense of guilt and sorrow for not being able to do his job.

Joy stared at the Doctors’ face. The blood drained from her face. They were devastated. They couldn’t believe that they had just lost one of their daughters.