On June 1, 2026, in the operating room conference hall of Hainan General Hospital, a reunion ten years in the making took place. Nurse Fu Hongqing immediately recognized two familiar faces and exclaimed emotionally: “It’s good to see you growing up healthy!” Her simple words seemed to turn back time.

On that day ten years ago, forty-day-old conjoined twin girls Ji Tao and Xiang Li, who were connected at their chests, abdomens, and livers, underwent a highly complex separation surgery at the hospital. Ten years later, those two medically complex infants have grown into lively young women, returning to their starting point with shy smiles to keep a heartwarming promise.

Ji Tao (third from left) and Xiang Li (second from left) returned to Hainan General Hospital. Photo: Liu Sunmou

A Life-Saving Separation Relay

In the spring of 2016, a rural family in Dongfang City, Hainan Province, was stunned by a diagnosis: their unborn babies were conjoined twins, a rare condition that occurs in less than one in 200,000 such pregnancies. Their father, Fu Renpang, still recalls the experience with visibly strong emotions: "Faced with this unknown situation, we were helpless, and the future seemed bleak."

At that critical moment, Hainan General Hospital threw out a lifeline to this family in distress, taking all possible measures to successfully treat this highly complex medical case. This was the first time in the history of Hainan that a separation surgery was to be performed on conjoined twins by an independent local team. There was no one with experience to lead them, and no ready-made plan to rely on. They had to find their own way through.

On April 22, 2016, just one day after their birth, conjoined twins Ji Tao and Xiang Li were admitted to the hospital's intensive care unit. Just providing daily care to these unique infants was a significant challenge! As their abdomens were joined together, they couldn’t lie flat, and sleeping on their sides for extended periods could compress their organs, so the babies had to be turned every two hours. Two nurses worked carefully in tandem to give the twin girls daily baths and other necessary care.

Twin sisters Ji Tao and Xiang Li wore matching hair ties to the reunion. Photo: Liu Sunmou

Due to the extremely unique situation, conventional surgical instruments and nursing protocols were completely inadequate, prompting the hospital's multidisciplinary team to launch an all-out effort to save the babies’ lives. Multiple pre-operative seminars and intensive simulations were conducted. The existing surgical kit was inadequate, so custom-made surgical instruments were created. Without a reference to guide nursing procedures, every detail was meticulously reviewed, and since there was no readily available conjoined twin model, nurses hand-sewed one. This custom model was then used to repeatedly simulate the required surgical procedures.

On June 1, 2016, celebrated in China as Children's Day, the highly anticipated separation surgery was successfully completed. After more than two hours of intensive work, the connected organs were meticulously separated, and the wounds were successfully closed. Ji Tao and Xiang Li were able to "fly solo", each with her own body and new life. On June 22, 2016, the two sisters were discharged from the hospital after their successful recovery, embarking on a brand new chapter of their lives.

Sisters Ji Tao and Xiang Li. Photo: Liu Sunmou

A Lasting Connection

The successful separation surgery was not the end of the care provided to the twins, but the beginning of a long-term relationship. "We are more concerned about their long-term development", said Doctor Lin Hai, who oversees their care. Due to large abdominal wall defects, the girls' healing scars, chest wall development, and organs require long-term monitoring. The hospital has continued to follow up with the twins over the last ten years, providing uninterrupted medical care from their one-year-old check-up through the ten year anniversary visit.

In the ultrasound department, after thorough examinations of the girls' hearts, livers, gallbladders, and urinary systems, a doctor confirmed, "All aspects of their development and health are exceptionally good." A relieved smile appeared on Lin Hai's face. Fu Hongqing, who had been a young and inexperienced nurse at the time, is now a specialist team leader. Lin Hai, then an associate chief physician, has become the head of pediatric surgery. This unique surgery offered valuable multidisciplinary collaboration experience for the local area, improving the hospital’s ability to treat complex critical illnesses and enabling more patients to receive high-quality treatment locally.

Twin sisters Ji Tao and Xiang Li. Photo: Liu Sunmou

Growing Up Happy and Healthy

For ten years, the twin girls' father Fu Renpang and their family gently protected the children’s innocence, waiting for the right time to tell them about their unique birth experience. It wasn’t until this year, when they were invited back to the hospital, that the past was finally revealed. Seeing images of themselves as infants, ten-year-old Ji Tao and Xiang Li appeared calm. Having once shared a liver, they still retain an unspoken understanding: they both love durian, and their hobbies and habits are strikingly similar.

Despite their similarities however, the twins have longed for independence. When they started elementary school, the girls chose to be in different classes where they could cultivate their individual personalities and talents. Like other girls their age, they studied hard, laughed, and played, slowly growing up day after ordinary day.

At the reunion event, the slightly shy Ji Tao and Xiang Li whispered, "We are very happy today!" When a doctor asked them if they also wanted to be doctors when they grew up, Xiang Li mustered up her courage and answered, "Yes!" They presented handmade paintings to the medical staff who had cared for them in the past, expressing their gratitude through colorful art.

On June 1, a homecoming event was held at Hainan General Hospital to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the successful separation surgery. Photo: Liu Sunmou

"Without the hospital's all-out efforts and the help of society, our two kids wouldn't be where they are today," Fu Renpang repeated again and again, his voice filled with gratitude. Ten years have passed, and the kindness that initially offered the hope of life has transformed into a bright ray of sunlight shining on the paths of these twin girls.

On that day, medical staff representatives and their families celebrated the sisters' belated tenth birthdays. This ten year reunion celebrated not only a medical miracle, but also the moving power of lives that are thriving in the bright light of love and continuing care.