Miracle for Fargo Twins!

May 15, 2006 - At 4:28 pm on Friday, for the first time since entering the world, 5-month-old conjoined twins Abbigail and Isabelle slept peacefully in separate beds after a successful 7-hour surgery. Minneapolis Star Tribune Photographer Joey McLeister covered the miracle throughout the Carlsen Family's journey in a project called Two in a Million, capturing moments parents Amy and Jesse Carlsen both feared and prayed for since the identical sisters were born in Fargo, ND, on November 29 at 5 lbs 2 oz. each, sharing a diaphragm, pancreas, liver, bile duct, and part of the intestines.

The girls were to be separated after spending nearly every moment of their lives eye to eye and practically heart to heart, but with the 70-member care team at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, the unshakably hopeful Carlsen parents knew they were in good hands. With 30 people involved in the surgery alone, top specialists were rotated in and out to perform one major surgery after another, including the perilous tasks of separating the liver, dividing the intestines, recreating a biliary structure for Abbigail, and moving Isabelle's heart that was tipping into her sister's.

Star Tribune's Director of Photography Peter Koelman's proud reaction to the coverage on the twins speaks volumes about the project. "Joey McLeister! That was my first thought when the reporter first approached me with the story on the conjoined twins. Soft-spoken with a non-threatening style, Joey was perfect for the assignment. She quickly gained the trust and respect of the parents and the medical staff," he told ZUMA Press.

Mommy Amy wasn't the only one who was proud and inspired by Abbigail and Isabelle's miracle operation just in time for Mother's Day on Sunday. On their CaringBridge website, which has received an outpouring of over 130,000 visits from compassionate supporters, the Carlsen parents posted, "Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers who feel like Abby and Belle have become their own. Thank you for your continued prayers and support." Supported by breathing ventilators, the twins' vital signs remained strong and stable on Sunday as they continued to heal as hoped and expected by doctors. Their Mayo Clinic care team continues to closely monitor their steady improvement as their condition today has improved from Critical to Serious.

Doctors say the girls had a 90-95% chance of survival going into the operation, as omphalopagus twins - those that are connected at the lower chest and abdomen - are the most common type of conjoined babies, which occur in 1 of every 70,000 - 100,000 births. Even with such methodical optimism, it was the kind of surgery that can test modern medical artistry and technology.

Photo captions from top down:
All images from Conjoined Twins To Be Separated: © JOEY MCLEISTER/ ZUMA Press

May 12, 2006; Rochester, MN, USA; A member of the surgical team holds the tiny hands of conjoined twins Abbigail and Isabelle Carlsen, of Fargo, N. D., during the 7-hour surgery to separate them at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

May 12, 2006; Rochester, MN, USA; On Friday the Carlsen twins went into surgery at Mayo St. Mary's Hospital. Pictured: JESSE and AMY CARLSEN prepare to say goodbye to daughters ISABELLE and ABBIGAIL moments before taking them to the operating room at the Mayo Clinic where the conjoined twins were to undergo separation surgery. The family paused outside the surgical unit. The parents were dressed in surgical scrubs to accompany the girls from their hospital room.

Feb 01, 2006; Fargo, ND, USA; (Left to right) As home health care nurse Connie Carlson makes a call to the hospital, Amy Carlsen calls her mom to say the conjoined twins, (left to right) Isabelle and Abbigail, are sick and the family will be going from home to the emergency room in Fargo then on to Children's Hospital in Minneapolis. Home health care nurse Carlson had listened to the twins' lungs and advised the trip to the hospital. Conjoined twins, Isabelle and Abbigail Carlsen, will be separated May 12 at Mayo Clinic.

Jan 06, 2006; Fargo, ND, USA; The Carlsen twins, (left to right) Isabelle and Abbigail Carlsen, sleep at home in Fargo, N.D. The conjoined twins will be separated May 12 at Mayo Clinic.

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