They were separated when they were six weeks old. It was a dangerous procedure. Jannat and Zainab Rahman, who live in the United Kingdom, celebrated their 16th birthday the other day.”This is a nightmare from the past.” I didn’t dare to imagine that day at the time. And seeing them now is incredible.
“They had the worst odds,” recalls the mother of her twin daughters. Doctors did not keep their parents in the dark about the infants Jannat and Zainab’s chances of a successful separation and subsequent normal lives. They took a chance, though, and are now extremely proud of their lovely daughters.
“I am the happiest father in the world,” Luther, director of business development, said of his daughters. When I see these two, I feel as if God has bestowed a gift on me. It means a lot to us. Every single day. And we’re quite proud of them!”
The girls’ parents learned they were Siamese twins during their first ultrasound in 2002 when physicians encouraged Nita Rahman to contemplate abortion. “But we said they are our children, whoever they are.” They both stated they had a one-in-a-million chance of surviving. And even if they survived, one of the children could lose a limb or become ill.
Luckily, the organ that they had in common was the only one that could regenerate, and that was the liver. They were more worried about Jannat. They said there was little chance of her survival. Jannat had a hole in her heart.”
Jannat was sent to the intensive care unit after being separated. During this period, Zainab became restless, refused to eat, and couldn’t sleep since she missed her sister. “At first, we couldn’t figure out what was wrong. However, one of the nurses got inspiration and brought a mirror. Zainab began to smile as she looked in the mirror. She was joyful once more.”
The girls have not yet parted for more than one day. They are best friends. But soon they will have to separate, as they have different plans for the future and will have to study at different universities. Zainab plans to study at Cambridge to become a pediatrician, while Jannat plans to go to Oxford to become a lawyer. Now – they are the best students in the school in East London.