Formerly conjoined twins celebrate their second birthday
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Wednesday, Feb. 17 marks the one year anniversary of the historic separation of the formerly conjoined Mata twins at Texas Children's Hospital.
We first introduced you to the girls, Knatalye Hope and Adeline Faith Mata back in 2014, when the six-month-old twin girls were joined at the abdomen. At the time, "Hope" and "Faith" and shared a liver, diaphragm, intestines and lining of the heart.
On Wednesday, February 17, 2015, doctors at Texas Children's Hospital performed a historic surgery to separate Hope and Faith.
Hope and Faith, turn 2-years-old on April 11th and according to Texas Children's Hospital, the girls are doing well. The hospital tweeted this photo of the girls on their second birthday.
"Neither have experienced any complications and they are both making steady progress," said Dr. Darrell Cass who is the lead surgeon and co-director of Texas Children's Fetal Center.
Hope is starting to walk. She does not have any breathing issues and she's learning to eat by mouth, but so far she has not been too enthusiastic! Texas Children's Hospital plans to operate on her chest wall again in order to remove the metal struts that were used to stabilize the rib cage and to formally close her chest wall.
Faith has also made a lot of progress. According to Texas Children's Hospital, her lungs continue to improve and doctors are slowly weaning back her ventilator support. She is undergoing speech and physical therapy and is working on eating as well.
Both children will return to Texas Children's Hospital this summer for a check-up and Hope will have her operation.
