The ties that bind

The tragic and highly publicized case of conjoined twins Xinxin and Qiaoqiao in Chongqing, shone the spotlight on this rare condition. Conjoined twins are generally born to poor individuals in China and, in addition to the financial problems faced by parents, they can also face discrimination due to a lack of understanding. While doctors and hospitals are quick to offer help, often free of charge, as cases receive significant media attention, there are few if any support groups for parents. Yang Peng, a 23-year-old pediatric nurse at Xinqiao Hospital in Chongqing, says she had a bad feeling before taking the phone call that informed her the conjoined twins she had been caring for had failed to make it through another emergency. "I was not totally unprepared but, still, it was heartrending to hear they had passed away," Yang says of the call she got at 5 pm on Oct 3. The baby girls, Xinxin and Qiaoqiao, had lived for 152 days, a record survival time in China for such a complicated case of conjoined twins, pediatrician Meng Meng says. They had two heads, two spines, two stomachs, two lungs and two kidneys but only one trunk, one gallbladder, one spleen, one pelvis and one urogenital system. They had 1.5 hearts. Xinxin and Qiaoqiao were born on May 5, to a poor farmers' family in Suining, Sichuan province. Their parents, formerly migrant workers in Shantou city, Guangdong province, had quit their jobs and returned to their hometown for the birth of their first child - but were stunned when the twins were born. News of the birth spread - first by word of mouth, then the media got hold of the story - before the parents were offered free treatment for their twins by several hospitals. The family chose Xinqiao Hospital, as it was the nearest to their home. The twins arrived at the hospital on May 9. A panel of doctors and a group of six nurses were assigned to look after them around the clock.