Formerly-conjoined Texas twins head home after surgery
A set of formerly-conjoined twins from North Texas are both finally home after undergoing a surgical separation in January. AmieLynn Finley returned to her Saginaw home with her twin JamieLynn along with parents Amanda and James, two siblings, and a cousin.
The twins were hospitalized at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth following their birth in October 2022, and transferred to Cook Children’s to prepare for the surgery. Amie’s homecoming is the first time the Finley family is home all together, as JamieLynn was discharged from the hospital on March 21.
“This is kind of the beginning again,” James said in a news release from Cook Children’s. “Surgery was one beginning and now we’re going home to another beginning.”
The girls, who are about 18 months old, were considered omphalopagus twins and born connected from the lower part of their breastbone and shared a liver. They underwent an 11-hour procedure to be separated and remained in the Cook Children’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to recover. AmieLynn recently underwent a surgery to improve her chest incision and create more space for her heart, diaphragm and lungs, which required her stay to be extended.
Dr. Iglesias holds both of the twins. He was the lead surgeon in their separation surgery.
Courtesy of Cook Children’s
“It’s definitely a weight lifted,” Amanda said in the release. “I’m excited and happy, it’s a lot of emotions. We still have a long way to go.”
The hospital said Amie developed scoliosis as a result of a natural inclination to lean back and pull away from her twin when they were conjoined, and the hospital said both girls will need to do physical rehabilitation “to help them reach their full potential.”
The Finley family poses before loading up into their vehicle to head home.
Courtesy of Cook Children’s
Amanda holds her daughters
Courtesy of Cook Children’s
James Finley holds his daughters Amie and Jamie
Courtesy of Cook Children’s
“I’m so excited for the girls to be able to assimilate into their new home with their entire family 24 hours a day. My wish for them is that they get to experience all of the normal joys of family life that they haven’t been able to experience in the hospital,” said Neonatologist Fran Lynch, M.D. “These girls are truly remarkable and I can’t wait to see what they accomplish in their lives moving forward.”
