Conjoined twins leave Jamaica for life-changing surgery in Saudi Arabia

Conjoined twins Azaria and Azora departed Jamaica on Sunday for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where they are scheduled to undergo a life-changing separation surgery.

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The 20-month-old toddlers, accompanied by their mother Iesha McMurray and a team of medical professionals, left the island on a Medevac flight from Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston. Following a brief stopover in the United Kingdom, they are expected to arrive in Riyadh on Monday.

The twins, who are joined at the abdomen—a condition known as Omphalopagus that occurs in roughly one in every 50,000 to 150,000 live births—have been receiving care at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) since birth due to various complications, including congenital heart defects.

Their transfer was made possible through an agreement between the Saudi government and UHWI, with support from Jamaica’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade. Among those present to see the family off at the airport were Odane Elson, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, and Jamaica’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, His Excellency Dr. Waleed Bin Abdulrahman Alhamoudi.

Azaria and Azora will undergo extensive assessments before the highly complex operation, which is scheduled to take place within two months at the King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital in Riyadh. Their surgery falls under the Saudi Programme for Separating Conjoined Twins, which has recorded 66 successful separations worldwide.

Senator Johnson Smith thanked the Saudi government and His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for covering all medical, transport, and logistical expenses related to the twins’ treatment.

“This initiative, undertaken under the aegis of the royal family and the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, is one of most beautiful ways to strengthen the relationship between countries, because it shows that those who are wealthy can help those who don’t have,” she said.

She also praised the initiative as deserving of global recognition and extended prayers for the success of the procedure. “We send our prayers to the hands and the hearts of the medical team as they perform this delicate and sensitive operation that has the potential to change the lives of two people and those around them. We send every blessing and prayer for their guidance.”

Ambassador Alhamoudi assured Elson that the surgery would be a success, citing a recent achievement by Saudi surgeons who on Sunday morning separated 17-month-old conjoined Syrian twins, Selin and Elin, during an eight-hour procedure carried out by a team of 24 consultants and experts.

Elson, visibly emotional, expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Saudi government and UHWI. He also praised the twins’ mother for her strength throughout the journey. “I am very happy. I’m sure they will make it through. I’m just hoping for a miracle,” he said.