Carmen and Lupita: One Body, Two Souls

Carmen and Lupita Andrade 11 year old sisters with one body for two, they are conjoined twins. It is not quite the medical term, would be correct to say that they are iliopagus. But this is only from a medical point of view, by human standards they are two developed and interesting personalities.

Actually, the fact that the girls survived at birth is a great luck, the birth of a healthy conjoined twins is a very rare case. This occurs if the fertilized ovum divides too late, usually on day 6 after conception, but in the case of conjoined twins at 14-15 days. The probability of having twins is 1 to 200,000, and the survival rate is only 5-25%. Today, there are about 12 pairs of adult conjoined twins in the whole world.

When the girls were only two years old, their mother decided to move from Mexico to the United States, to receive professional medical assistance and find out whether is it possible to carry out the operation to separate the girls. However, it turned out that too many vital organs are connected, and they have shared lower part of the spine, what makes the operation impossible without damage to one or both girls. Mother didn't agree to risk the life not of one of the sisters, and therefore refused surgery and has decided to make all the girls lived a full life.

Since then, Carmen and Lupita grew, when they learned that mom was looking for a way to separate them, they asked in bewilderment: «Mommy, why would you want to cut us in half?». Because today, thanks to the long and arduous physical therapy and the support of friends and relatives, they live like normal children. They run, jump, dance, play piano and dabble with classmates. The main difference from other children that the sisters never fight with each other, because they literally feel each other.

During the years of training, the girls have reached the incredible synchronicity in the management of a common body. Carmen is responsible for the right half, and Lupita for the left, but they have totally different characters. Carmen is a leader, she is very active and cheerful, loves sports. Lupita are more modest and reserved, she loves to contemplate and reads a lot.

Now the girls can’t imagine life without each other and don't think about what will be their future. It is impossible to guess whether they are to get along in adolescence or when adults, even now their characters show that they will have very different goals in lives.

Looking at how they get along and are friends today, I want to believe that they will have a long and happy life. It is possible that in the next decade medicine will become enough progressive to give them the possibility of safe separation, if they will have such a desire. With age in Siamese twins often accumulate mutual claims and dissatisfaction with the behavior of each other. For example: at the end of life Chang Bunker was a lot to drink and make trouble, while his brother led a more healthy way of life and denounced Chang.

The author of all these pictures- Anabel Clark says that girls won her with their charm and humor, like all the others. By her photos, she wanted to show that it is not necessary to dwell on the physical characteristics of the girls, because they are both full and interesting personalities, that they are normal and there is no tragedy.

There is a saying that you cannot choose your relatives. And if you're unlucky with your brother or sister, and you don't get along (what often happens), becoming older, you can keep communication to a minimum. But the case of conjoined twins is a lesson for all of us. They are forced to find compromises because go hand in hand all time, they are not able to simply ignore the concerns and desires of each other. Such a life can seems difficult, but at the same time this is an example of interaction, love and care about each other. Though forced, but to make the own live and the lives those who are near, fullest and happy, pushing your ego on the back burner.

sources: 1, 2, 3, photos by Anabel Clark