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Turkey reunites Syrian twins with mother after 101 days

Turkey reunites Syrian twins with mother after 101 days

Amother of conjoined twins was reunited with her babies after 101 days, thanks to efforts by the Turkish government that brought her to the capital Ankara from northern Syria.

The twins – Bessam and Ihsan – were born on Oct. 25 last year in war-torn Idlib. Despite the low mortality rates of the conjoined twins, the two survived.

Their father, Mahmoud Salih, requested help from Turkey soon after finding out about the condition of the children at birth.

After a positive response to Mahmoud, the conjoined twins were first brought to Turkey’s southernmost province of Hatay and later transferred to Ankara Medical Faculty Hospital for treatment in the capital.

With the efforts of Turkish authorities, the twins’ father arrived in Ankara, leaving behind his three other children with their mother in Syria.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Mahmoud, 40, explained their journey from Idlib to Ankara, holding back his emotions.

Mahmoud said on seeing the condition of the children, he had requested Turkey’s help to get his children treated.

“Thanks to Allah, our request was approved, and I was able to take my children to a hospital in (Hatay’s) Antakya (district),” he said.

After the necessary procedures, Bessam and Ihsan were transferred to Ankara Medical Faculty Hospital.

Though the children were without their parents, the health care workers, from nurses to doctors, from surgeons and chief physicians, all provided the love and care a baby needs. But even then, the conjoined twins needed their mother to help them grow and nourish until the day of separation surgery.

Helping hand from Turkey

The Turkish government expedited efforts to bring the mother and her three other children to Turkey and reunite the family at once.

“It was challenging times for me. I had to leave my wife and my children behind. It was very hard. Gratefully, they are here now, and we are reunited,” Mahmoud said.

Mahmoud expressed his gratitude to the Turkish government, officials and health care workers for their efforts and works.

“When I had no idea what to do (after finding out about the twins’ situation), Turkey extended its helping hand,” he added.

Meanwhile, Bessam and Ihsan’s mother Lubaba was anxiously waiting in front of the newborn intensive care unit to finally reunite with her babies.

Noting that she had experienced “challenging times” when her babies were away from her, Lubaba, a mother of five, said she came down with an illness.

“With my children away from me for three months, I became ill. Their father (who came to Turkey earlier) was not with us (in Syria) either,” she said.

Lubaba also thanked the government of Turkey and its officials, as well as the health care workers.

“Thanks to Allah, I am thrilled and joyous to see my children finally,” she added.

Known to be one of Turkey’s most rooted faculty hospitals, the Ankara Medical Faculty Hospital provides treatment to approximately 650,000 outpatients and 33,500 inpatients annually with the latest technology imaging and medical devices.

Providing information about the twins and their condition, Dr. Saadet Arsan, the head of the Department of Pediatrics at Ankara Medical Faculty Hospital, told Anadolu Agency (AA): “The babies are Siamese twins, also known as conjoined twins.”

“It is actually a rare condition in medicine, and these babies are conjoined at their torso region,” Arsan said.