Heartbreaking image of two girls conjoined at the head

Twins Chiara and Charina Nortega, 7 years old, living in Roxas, Palawan, were born joined at the head. The condition causes them to live in constant pain and makes it difficult for them to perform daily activities. According toNew York Post, both often have to work in parallel, from bathing, eating to studying.

To free their two children, the parents of the twins are trying to raise funds, calling for people's generosity to pay for the surgery to separate the two children, even though they know it is very likely that one of them may not survive.

"My husband and I took our children for MRI and CT scans. Almost all the examination results confirmed that separating Chiara and Charina was very risky, because they both share the same aorta," said Sonia, 37. "But we still decided that we needed to do the surgery no matter what. I knew very well that I might lose one of my daughters. But if one of them was cured and had a normal life, the sacrifice of the other would be completely worth it. I am very optimistic and believe in the miracles of science."

The Filipino mother also revealed that her intuition told her that both children would definitely survive the surgery and soon have a life like their peers.

The surgery is estimated to cost around $119,000, but Arnel's father currently only works part-time, earning $7 a day.

"I'm doing everything I can. I'm working long shifts to earn money for my children's medical treatment," said Arnel, 47, the twins' father. "But if I work shifts for the rest of my life, I won't be able to earn enough money. I'm asking friends, family, even strangers for help."

While Chiara and Charina were conjoined, the other three siblings were healthy.

Because Chiara was born with a cleft palate and cannot speak, Charina is the one who translates for her.

"Charina is a good student. She loves to study, is attentive and her favorite subject is math. Both of us love to listen to stories," Sonia proudly boasted. "They love to draw. Although life is very difficult for them, I want to raise them like normal children. My husband and I have raised them with boundless love, care and listening."

Sonia now hopes for another miracle, as doctors predicted the twins would die before birth during her pregnancy, but they have already celebrated seven birthdays.

"The doctors at Medicare Hospital at that time declared the twins dead in my womb and even refused to perform a cesarean section on me. However, God blessed us with two beautiful children. My maternal instinct told me that they would survive the surgery, as long as we could raise enough money," Sonia added.

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