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Heartwarming

'Power of positive': Michigan conjoined twins separated

Each girl had her own arms and legs and heart, but their livers were connected.

Credit: AP

Alyson and Phil Irwin the parents of 1-year-old conjoined twins Sarabeth and Amelia Irwin visit at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Aug. 26, 2020, after more than two dozen doctors, nurses and specialist separated them. The nearly 11-hour surgery was performed in August at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital about 14 months after their birth. They're now at home. (Photo by Joe Hallisy/Michigan Medicine via AP)

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Doctors at the University of Michigan have separated 1-year-old conjoined twin sisters — Sarabeth and Amelia Irwin of Petersburg, Michigan.

Each girl had her own arms and legs and heart, but their livers were connected. The nearly 11-hour surgery to separate them was performed in August at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital.

Sarabeth and Amelia are now at home. The parents, Alyson and Phil Irwin, learned about the conjoined twins during a pregnancy ultrasound in 2019.

The Irwins knew the girls might not survive long enough for a surgery, but they did. Phil Irwin says people need a positive story like the one about his girls.

Credit: AP

One-year-old conjoined twins Sarabeth and Amelia Irwin are checked in at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Aug 5, 2020, before more than two dozen doctors, nurses and specialist separated them. The nearly 11-hour surgery was performed about 14 months after their birth. They're now at home. (Joe Hallisy/Michigan Medicine via AP)

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