Baby Born With Two Faces, Brain's Still Alive, Doing Well: 'We Just Want to Bring Them Home,' Dad Says
Renee Young and Simon Howie of Australia are thankful that they made the decision to give birth to their very unique baby, one who has two faces and brains but one body. The couple fought against doctors in order to be able to have their child and now doctors are shocked by the baby's progress.
"They are breathing perfectly on their own and feeding," Howie told Woman's Day. "Even though there is only one body, we call them our twins. To us, they are our girls and we love them. We have no idea how long they will be in hospital. We just want to bring them home, happy and healthy to make our family a little bit bigger and a bit more chaotic."
The girls, named Faith and Hope, were born via emergency cesarean, six weeks early. The girls were transferred to the Children's Hospital, where they have been receiving medical care and a significant number of medical testing. Records only show 35 cases of the condition known as diprosopus, which means that the girls share a full body and vital organs but have one head with two brains and two faces.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"I think they're beautiful and Simon thinks they're beautiful, so really, that's all that matters," Young told A Current Affair. "I would say, if I only get two days with the baby, I only get two days with the baby – at least I have some time with it," she added. "Everything happens for a reason."
"We sort of looked as it as it would be the same as being a child with autism or Down syndrome. I sort of don't believe in terminating the baby if it's healthy and growing fine and everything is going to plan," Howie said. "We've got a really big family. We don't really involve ourselves in the community except for schools where the children are. We have a good family base … it gives us a lot of support."
