Conjoined twins Carter and Conner shared a liver and small intestine when they were born five months ago, according to the Seattle Times.
The boys have now reportedly been successfully separated after a 12-hour operation conducted by three surgeons, five anesthesiologists and 12 other staff members.
The two boys from Florida were originally given a 25 percent chance to live, according to the U.K. publication The Daily Mail.
“We separate them and then reconstruct them so that they each have organs that are going to function normally,” stated Daniel Robie, chief of pediatric general surgery for Nemours Children’s Speciality Care at Wolfs Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville.
Since the surgery, Carter and Connor “are doing extremely well for the circumstances,” according to the boys’ Facebook page Prayers for Carter and Connor, which was created by their mother, Michelle Brantley.
“We’re not in the clear but so far everything is going well,” wrote 24-year-old Brantley.
Doctors had reportedly initially worried about too much blood loss while separating the liver, so the surgeons spent months preparing for the surgery.
“Ultimately we want to give these babies the chance to live full, independent lives,” stated Robie.
Parents Michelle Brantley and Bryan Mirabal were all smiles after the operation, especially now that their boys are doing well.
“It was so awesome, walking up to the bed for the first time, and then it registered that I was just looking at Carter. And then I thought, ‘I have another baby over here too!,’” stated Mirabal.
