‘Historic surgery’ successfully separates conjoined Texas twins
Two Texas infants are recovering after a lengthy surgery that was a first for Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth this week. The hospital shared the story of conjoined twins JamieLynn Rae and AmieLynn Rose Finley after the procedure on Monday, January 23.
The girls’ parents James Finley and Amanda Arciniega of Saginaw, north of Fort Worth, said they initially planned to have another child to add to their family of five. They found out they were expecting twins at 10-weeks and confirmed the girls were conjoined at the next appointment. The girls were born at 34-weeks on October 3, 2022 and both weighed 4 pounds 7.8 oz. Maternal-fetal specialist Bannie Tabor, M.D., who delivered the twins, said it “wasn’t an easy delivery, but we made it look easy.”
16-week-old conjoined twins JamieLynn and AmieLynn Finley were successfully separated at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth on Monday, January 23.
Photos courtesy of Cook Children’s Medical Center
16-week-old conjoined twins JamieLynn and AmieLynn Finley were successfully separated at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth on Monday, January 23.
Photos courtesy of Cook Children’s Medical Center
16-week-old conjoined twins JamieLynn and AmieLynn Finley were successfully separated at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth on Monday, January 23.
Photos courtesy of Cook Children’s Medical Center
“I would not have thought in a million years that I would have twins,” Arciniega told Cook Children’s. “And then conjoined twins on top of that.”
The 16-month-old girls were considered omphalopagus twins, meaning they were joined at the abdomen and shared at least one internal organ. JamieLynn and AmieLynn were born connected from the lower part of their breastbone and shared a liver, which doctors’ said supported an earlier separation. The girls have not been growing at the same pace, the hospital said, because they shared some blood supply.
The girls have been in the NICU, first at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth when they were born and then transferred one month later to Cook Children’s, to help them grow strong enough and allow medical professionals time to prepare for the complicated procedure.
“At this stage in AmieLynn and JamieLynn’s growth and development, this was the right time for them to have the surgery,” said Dr. Mary Frances Lynch, neonatologist at Cook Children’s Medical Center. “Separation now will benefit AmieLynn and JamieLynn by allowing them to continue reaching important growth and development milestones in their individual health journeys.”
The hospital said the surgery spanned 11 hours with 25 medical professionals, including six surgeons, split into two teams, one for each girl. JamieLynn’s team wore purple scrubs and AmieLynn’s wore green, and the girls had their nails painted to coordinate with their team.
16-week-old conjoined twins JamieLynn and AmieLynn Finley were successfully separated at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth on Monday, January 23.
Photos courtesy of Cook Children’s Medical Center
16-week-old conjoined twins JamieLynn and AmieLynn Finley were successfully separated at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth on Monday, January 23.
Photos courtesy of Cook Children’s Medical Center
Doctors successfully dissected the girls’ shared liver and abdominal wall and, once the girls were safely separated, both teams went to work to try and close the wound. In a monumental moment of success, the girls were taken to their room in the NICU to recover in their own beds for the very first time.
16-week-old conjoined twins JamieLynn and AmieLynn Finley were successfully separated at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth on Monday, January 23.
Photos courtesy of Cook Children’s Medical Center
16-week-old conjoined twins JamieLynn and AmieLynn Finley were successfully separated at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth on Monday, January 23.
Photos courtesy of Cook Children’s Medical Center
16-week-old conjoined twins JamieLynn and AmieLynn Finley were successfully separated at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth on Monday, January 23.
Photos courtesy of Cook Children’s Medical Center
16-week-old conjoined twins JamieLynn and AmieLynn Finley were successfully separated at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth on Monday, January 23.
Photos courtesy of Cook Children’s Medical Center
Doctors said the girls’ recovery will be slow as the large incision on their abdomens heal, which may require additional procedures, and they will need “extensive rehabilitation,” including nutritionists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, and more.
“I’m very hopeful that they’re going to have a good recovery and lead healthy lives in the future,” Jose Iglesias, M.D., Cook Children’s medical director of pediatric surgery, said. “They’re going to have a bit of a ramp up from the recovery, but I think they’re going to be able to get there eventually, and very close to normal if not completely normal.”
You can listen to the Finley family’s journey below:
Now Playing:
