ConjoinedTwinsEmberson

New Zealand conjoined twins, sharing one heart and lungs, were delivered by caesarean section at 37 weeks. Wairoa couple Bruce and Denise Emberson hoped for a miracle in the face of doctors doubts that the girls would be born alive. The couple had been advised to terminate the pregnancy. Mrs. Emberson, aged 34, has said she saw it as her responsibility to have the girls. The parents have signed an exclusive deal with TV3s 20/20 programme. The Embersons, who have two other daughters - Sandy, who is 11, and Kirsty-Jane, 9 - hoped to travel overseas for surgery for the twins. The complicated surgery to separate the twins would involve a heart transplant for one and their own government help to pay for such surgery is unlikely because of the very small likelihood of success. Faith and Hope were laying together as if hugging one another. On the third day, the babies died on 5/05/2000, 06:00 AM NZST. Siamese twins occur once in every 100,000 births. Faith and Hope are only the fifth set born in New Zealand, and just the third to survive birth. Read less