AMAZING pics of conjoined twins, 18, who REFUSED separation surgery!
They say they never want to be apart
Conjoined twins Shivanath and Shivram Sahu from India say they have no regrets turning down offers to separate them - calling their condition a ‘gift from God’.
The boys, who have just turned 18, went viral in 2014 when a video of them washing and dressing themselves was broadcast.
They say they were approached by several doctors with offers of surgery to divide them but turned all offers down.
They are now too old for the operation but are happy with their decision despite the restrictions it’s placed on their lives.
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“The doctors told us that we can't be operated on. But we don’t want to do anything anyway. We want to stay like this.
“We have a very unique gift from God. We consider ourselves as two bodies but one soul,” the boys said.
The conjoined twins are believed to share the same stomach but have independent lungs, hearts and brains.
They are able to live mostly independent lives, including showering, eating and getting dressed and combing each other's hair. Despite always being together and sharing a few differences, they say they rarely fight.
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Shivanath and Shivram did attend school for some time, but were withdrawn a few years ago because it was felt they were distracting other students.
“Now we just wake up in the morning, get freshened up, take a bath and then we stroll around on our cycle and go on picnics with our friends,” the boys explained.
“We then listen to songs on our mobile phones and we watch videos on YouTube and movies also.
“We haven’t got any real plans for the future. We don't want to get married and have a family and all.
“No one is willing to give us any work so we don't have any choice. We have one acre of land so we’ll divide it equally among us and leasehold it to farmers.”
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The sons are primarily fed and cared for by their father Raj Kumar, 50. They also have six sisters who are all married.
“I don't want them to be separated. My boys are healthy and I accept them the way they are,’ he said. "Everybody in the village loves them and loves to play with them.”
Nicola Conville has worked as a journalist and editor for more than 20 years across a wide range of print and online publications. Her areas of expertise are parenting, health and travel. She has two children; Lucy, age eight, and Nathan, age five.
