Twin Siamese Delaney prospers after separation surgery

A series of American-Irish twins flourished as a result of a successful surgical operation aimed at separating them after their birth, when they were born united to the skull.

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Abby and Erin Delaney, now 2 years old, were born attached to the skull via bones and tissue. The condition, known as Craniopagus, is extremely rare and occurs only once in 2.5 million live births and represents only 2% to 6% of Siamese twins.

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Heather and Riley holding Erin and Abby (Delaney Twins, Facebook)

In June 2017, the girls underwent a separation operation at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) at the age of 11 months only. Parents Heather and Riley Delaney chose CHOP, which had previously separated 23 Siamese twins, more than any other hospital in the western world.

Although the operation lasted eleven hours thanks to a team of dedicated doctors and nurses, as well as to advanced technology, the road to recovery was long – exactly 485 days.

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Now, however, the Delaney twins are back home with their endearing parents, Heather and Riley, North Carolina, and their mother, Heather, says her daughters "are doing very well."

"It seems like every week they are doing something new and exciting."

Erin, whom Heather lovingly describes as "a little crazy," has just started crawling and getting out of trouble.

Abby is "finally sitting", which Heather says "is a huge thing because you do not know if they will walk until they are seated".

Heather says she can not wait to see her twins walk. "I can not wait to see them running with the other kids without looking different."

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The family still has to go to the CHOP every three or four months. The ride is long and takes about 10 hours, but Heather says seeing her daughters smile and laugh is worth it.

Although twins are progressing well, it's not without cost. Delaneys have an active GoFundMe program designed to reduce the costs badociated with drugs for girls, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, nutrition, recreational therapy and music therapy.

Later, girls will undergo reconstructive surgery. As Dr. Jesse Taylor of CHOP points out, each girl is perfectly able to live for the moment without a complete skull, but as they age and become more physical, doctors advise filling in the gaps.

For the moment though, Heather and Riley want their daughters to grow naturally and enjoy every moment they can with Abby and Erin.

CHOP recently shared a video on the progress of Abby and Erin Delaney: