Conjoined identical twins successfully separated at Texas Children's Hospital

Two conjoined identical twins are doing well after a seven-hour procedure to separate them at Texas Children’s Hospital. Anna and Hope's parents are thrilled and say they couldn't be more thankful.

"We've thought about and prayed for this day for almost two years," said the girls' mom, Jill Richards. "It's an indescribable feeling to look at our girls in two separate beds. We couldn't be more thankful to the entire team at Texas Children's for making this dream come true."

A team of nearly 75 surgeons and other specialists performed the separation surgery at Texas Children's Hospital on January 13.

"The success of this incredibly complex surgery was the result of our dedicated team members' hard work throughout the last year," said Dr. Larry Hollier, surgeon-in-chief and chief of plastic surgery at Texas Children's. "Through simulations and countless planning meetings, we were able to prepare for situations that could arise during the separation. We are thrilled with the outcome and look forward to continuing to care for Anna and Hope as they recover."

Their parents, Jill and Michael Richards, learned during a routine ultrasound that the twins were conjoined. The Richards family temporarily relocated to Houston from North Texas for the delivery at Texas Children’s Hospital and to be close to their daughters during their hospital stay.

The twins were born in December 2016 at nine pounds 12 ounces. They were conjoined at their chest and abdomen, through their torso, and shared a chest wall, pericardial sac, diaphragm, liver and had a large blood vessel connecting their hearts. They've been in NICU for the past year.