Thirteen years after a life-changing operation, once-conjoined twins reunited with the doctors and staff who cared for them after they were separated. Gordon Tokumatsu reports for the NBC4 News at 5 & 6 on Monday, Dec, 14, 2015.
Thirteen years after a life-changing operation that separated once-conjoined twins, they were reunited Monday with the doctors and staff who cared for them after they were separated.
Josie and Teresita Alvarez face many health challenges like having to use wheelchairs, suffering from seizures, and having to take medication.
But if they had remained conjoined at the head as children, things could have been much, much worse.
"Oh, my god! They're teenagers already!" Dr. Henry Kawamoto, a plastic surgeon who worked with the twins, exclaimed as he saw them again so many years after their surgery.
Dr. Yamamoto at Mattel Children's Hospital changed the lives of the twins from Guatemala forever.
They were separated in a marathon 23-hour surgery, making international headlines.
"I love being back," Josie said of her trip back to LA to reunite with the doctors.
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The twins didn't just meet with doctors. They wanted to spread holiday cheer for younger patients at UCLA Medical.
"It turned out great," Jenny Hull, Josie's adoptive mother, said.
The twins know first-hand that selflessness is what the holidays are all about.
"It helps them cheer up. And that's how they get well!" Josie said.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly spelled Kawamoto's name.
