Jamaica is celebrating a moment of hope and gratitude following the successful separation of conjoined twins Azaria and Azora Elson, who underwent life-changing surgery in Saudi Arabia earlier this week.
The announcement was made by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, on social media Thursday.
‘Dear Jamaica, in our own difficult times, there are blessings for which we are grateful,’ Johnson Smith wrote. ‘For everyone who prayed for little Azora and Azaria, our conjoined twins, they were separated this morning by the skillful surgical team of the King Salman Humanitarian Mission in Saudi Arabia.’
She confirmed that while one of the twins will require additional heart surgery for an unrelated condition, both are currently stable.
The twins, who are 20 months old, left Jamaica in July for the complex procedure at King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital in Riyadh.
They are Omphalopagus twins, joined at the abdomen and sharing a liver, a rare congenital condition occurring in approximately one in every 50,000 to 150,000 live births worldwide.
The girls had remained under care at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) since birth due to their condition and associated medical complications, including congenital heart abnormalities.
Their departure was made possible through the intervention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, which facilitated dialogue between UHWI and officials of the Government of Saudi Arabia.
The twins were supported by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, which covered all medical, transportation, and logistical costs.
The Saudi Programme for Separating Conjoined Twins, now in its third decade, has achieved remarkable success, having separated 66 pairs of conjoined twins worldwide.
The successful operation marks a milestone not only for the twins and their family but also for the Jamaican community, which has followed their journey from Kingston to Riyadh with hope and anticipation.