Twin sisters who spent the first 19 months of their lives joined at the skull were successfully separated in a stunning string of AI-assisted surgeries — and are now happy and thriving toddlers turning three.
Mercy and Goodness were born in Nigeria’s Ekiti State in June 2023, with fused skulls, shared brain tissue and blood vessels, according to Gemini Untwined, the UK charity that focuses on craniopagus twins.
At six months old, the conjoined twins were referred to Professor Noor ul Owase Jeelani, a pediatric neurosurgeon at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital and founder of the charity.
Mercy and Goodness were born fused at the skull. Gemini Untwined
At six months old, they were referred to the Gemini Untwined charity. Gemini UntwinedJeelani arranged for the twins and their parents to be brought to the UK, with the organization funding the entire treatment.
What followed in 2025 was one of the most complex surgical undertakings in modern medicine
The separation required four meticulously planned procedures over four months totaling 40 hours in the operating room.
More than 60 healthcare professionals from 20 countries spent months preparing, using artificial intelligence, virtual reality, 3D modeling and augmented reality to map every shared blood vessel and piece of interconnected brain tissue.
The final 12-hour surgery to separate the sisters took place at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City in Abu Dhabi and was led by Professor Jeelani, who was assisted by 12 other top surgeons.
Against all odds, the girls not only survived but made full recoveries and are now celebrating their third birthdays in Nigeria and their family.
The series of operations to separate the girls involved dozens of surgeons from several countries. Gemini Untwined
The ecstatic parents hold the girls after their successful separation. Gemini UntwinedThe organisation is the only charity in the world dedicated solely to treating craniopagus twins and has now successfully completed nine such separations.
“The separation of Goodness and Mercy is a landmark case planned and executed with a level of precision not encountered before,” Professor Jaleeni told the BBC.
“Building on the experience of our previous eight cases, and using novel techniques and strategies, we were able to give these girls and their family a new future.”
The twins are now 3 years old and are happy and healthy in Nigeria. Gemini UntwinedCraniopagus twins are very rare, with only 5% of conjoined twins being joined at the top of the head.
According to the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, they occur once in every 2.5 million births.
About 40% are stillborn or die during labor, while a further third die within the first 24 hours after birth.
