CONJOINED twins Pin and Pan’s bond is so strong that they don’t want to be separated - even if it proved medically possible.
The seven-year-old sisters, from Thailand, were born with their own heads, torsos, and arms but are connected at the waist.
The duo share a pair of legs, with Pin having control of one and Pan controlling the other, and have learned to walk, dress, eat - and, incredibly, even ride a tricycle - as one.
The twins live in Nakhon Sawan, around 250km north of Bangkok, Thailand, with their grandparents - who describe them as “normal, happy" children.
Their grandma, Noknoi Pongchumnan, said: “They love singing, eating ice cream, helping each other with dressing up and giggling together."
Conjoined twins are very rare, occurring around once in every 2.5 million births - but Pin and Pan have mastered the art of walking around crab-like on their hands and feet and can even climb two flights of stairs without help.
For longer distances, they ride a pink tricycle, and at school, a teacher pushes them from building to building in a wheelchair.
The twins attend Nakhonsawanpunyanukul Special School for disadvantaged children, where they are popular with both students and staff.
Prateep Suthat, the twins' teacher, said: “The other pupils thought Pin and Pan were different at first.
“In the classroom, they were asking, “Why do two people have one body”? They wanted to get a closer look.
“But after they spent time together, they realised Pin and Pan are the same as any other children, and now they all play together.”
The twins’ teachers and grandparents hope that their education will give them the skills to live an independent life in the future.
Headteacher Sunan Japan said: “I would like Pin and Pan to get jobs, because they have the potential and ability."
Their grandmother has high hopes for the twins too – she wants them to go to university and become doctors to help others with medical problems.
She said: "The first time I saw them, it was a shock. I didn’t expect my grandchildren to be conjoined,"
The twins' grandfather, Sanay Rompyen, added: “She came back from the hospital crying."
Rompoyen admits he felt pity for the twins for the first couple of months after they were born.
But now he says he is proud of his grandchildren – even if they can be naughty sometimes.
He said: “They don’t like being told what to do. If they want to do something, they will do it. They are very spontaneous and stubborn kids.”
And despite being physically joined, Pin and Pan’s personalities are far from identical.
Their grandmother explained: “One likes wearing her hair short in a pixie style, while the other prefers her hair at a longer length. One enjoys eating noodles, the other doesn’t."
Doctors have raised the possibility of Pin and Pan being separated, but both twins say they want to stay joined together forever.
“It might be nice if they could be separated,” their grandfather said. “But I don’t think it’s possible, and they are happy as they are.”
Their grandmother added: "I’ve never wished to see them separated, even if they could. It has never crossed my mind."
No comments:
Post a Comment