MANILA: As two-year-old conjoined twins Olivia and Gianna Manuel prepare for separation surgery on Thursday, their parents are filled with hope that it will give them a childhood and life like other children.
Born in Nueva Ecija in the central Philippines in April 2024, the girls are joined from the chest to the abdomen, a condition known as omphalopagus.
They were accepted into the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program in July last year, when their mother reached out to the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center.
In January, after numerous steps of medical qualification, the girls and their parents flew to Riyadh, where they have been under the care of the team of Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, one of the world’s most renowned pediatric surgeons.
A day ahead of the life-changing surgery, the girls’ mother, Ginalyn Manuel, told Arab News how she was nervous, excited and happy at the same time.
