Dr. Ben Carson is one of the lead neurosurgeons on the team that is attempting to separate twin sister co-joined at the head. Dr. Carson has performed many miracles as a neurosurgeon including pioneering work in separating co-joined twins. He has also written several best-selling books giving credit for his successful career to God, his mother, and hard work. He rates the chances of success at 50-50. He is currently the head of Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. Dr. Carson is Black, son of a single mother (2 or 3 children) who once lived in the Projects. My questions: What do you think of this type of surgery? How about Dr. Carson?

Be Blessed

Pastor Paris

-- Anonymous, July 06, 2003

Answers

For more information on Dr. Carson, see: http://www.drbencarson.com/index.html

-- Anonymous, July 06, 2003

The first time I heard about him, I was in high school. A member of my chuch gave me a book about him; I think it is called 'Gifted Hands'. He is definitely dedicated and a great inspiration for kids that weren't 'bred into medicine'. The main problem they will encounter when separating the twins is that even though they have separate brains they share a major vein that sits right in the middle of both brains towards the back of their heads. They basically have to fashion an artificial vein for one of them, which will make the operation very difficult.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/07/06/conjoined.twins/index.html

-- Anonymous, July 06, 2003

Grief Sweeps Iran After Twins Die in Surgery Tue Jul 8,10:11 AM ET Add World - Reuters to My Yahoo!

By Parisa Hafezi

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran plunged into shock and grief on Tuesday after conjoined Iranian twins died during high-risk surgery aimed at giving them a chance to lead separate lives.

Reuters Photo

The suffering and bravery of the sisters captivated Iran, a land with its own fair share of woes. Iranian television cut into scheduled programs to announce the deaths.

"It is a sad day for Iran," Vice-President Mohammad Ali Abtahi told Reuters. "The Iranian nation and a lot of people around the world were looking to the hospital hoping these two would be rescued.

"I express my condolences to their family and the Iranian nation and thank the medical team who were unsuccessful despite their best efforts," he said.

Dozens of Iranian twins held a vigil overnight to pray for 29-year- old Laleh and Ladan Bijani whose determination to lead separate lives made them risk the marathon surgery in Singapore.

"I am so sad," said government spokesman Abdollah Ramazanzadeh on hearing the news, his voice shaking.

Ladan, the more outspoken twin, died from blood loss at a critical stage of the operation as a team of 28 specialists and 100 assistants working for two days pried apart their tightly packed brain tissue and blood vessels. Laleh died soon after.

"I feel so bad about their deaths because I know what it is like to lose a child," said Boloureh Asefi. "I saw them a while ago in the street waiting for a taxi. It shows they didn't have any chance here in Iran," she said.

Housewife Maryam Forouhar said: "It's like I have lost a close relative."

President Mohammad Khatami (news - web sites) pledged on Monday to pay the costs of the operation, estimated at around $300,000.

RECRIMINATIONS

But amidst the grief there were recriminations.

The Iranian doctor who adopted the twins as children and brought them up accused Singapore doctors of killing the pair.

"We shared a house for 27 years and I feel a great emptiness," Alireza Safaian told Reuters, crying on the telephone. "When they took them to Singapore I knew they would bring back their bodies, they took them there and killed them."

The sisters repeatedly said they were aware of the operation's risks and willing to take them.

The twins' real father, Dadollah Bijani, a poor farmer from southern Iran, earlier recounted how the sisters were cared for by U.S. doctors in a local hospital for years. They went missing during the confusion of the 1979 Islamic revolution.

He eventually tracked them down to Karaj, near the capital Tehran, where Safaian had adopted them.

Despite a court ruling awarding father-of-11 Bijani custody, the twins decided to stay with Safaian.

Safaian's son said the twins had been abandoned before his father adopted them and were being kept in a hospital bathroom because staff were unwilling to look after the sisters.

-- Anonymous, July 09, 2003

Hi, I think no one under estimated the risk involed that operation.Also i think the twin sisters were prepared for any eventuality becouse at their age they long for their pivacy.Anyone will take that risk.I think the doctor did his best.But rating the chance as 50-50 was wrong.I think chance could have been about 70-30.

-- Anonymous, July 09, 2003