What Happened To Conjoined Twins Trishna And Krishna?
Trishna and Krishna are reportedly "thriving" after radical operation.
As Australia waits to see how conjoined twins Nima and Dawa Pelden are separated by a complex surgery in Melbourne, thoughts turn to the last time the Children First Foundation and Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital teamed up for a similar operation.
Bangladeshi sisters Trisha and Krishna captured national attention in 2009, when they underwent a marathon 32-hour surgical procedure to separate them.
The young girls were born with their skulls and brain matter fused, and had just a 25 percent chance of survival.
Up to 16 surgeons, led by neurosurgeon Wirginia Maixner, worked on the "once-in-a-lifetime operation", with the hospital's then-head of surgery Leo Donnan praising his team for the extraordinary work.
The girls were almost three-years-old when they were separated. But almost a decade on, where are they now?
Trishna And Krishna in 2018
The girls were brought over from a Bangladesh orphanage by Moira Kelly, the woman who became their legal guardian. (Note: At the time Kelly was working with the Children First Foundation, but she parted ways with it in 2013 to focus on her family and other projects.)
They still live with her in Melbourne, and three years after the surgery, Trisha -- the healthier of the pair -- was starting school, while Krishna, with extensive physiotherapy, was learning to walk supported by water.
That same year, 2011, the girls and Kelly also met Queen Elizabeth II, when she opened the new Royal Children's Hospital.
A few years later, the family grew again when the twins' birth mother, Lovely Goldar, was reunited with her children, moving to Australia to be part of their lives in 2013. She and her husband gave birth to their son, Matthew, the following year.
Although ten daily has been unable to get in contact with Kelly for this piece (she is travelling oversees), a piece on her website says that in 2015, the then-seven-year-old girls were "still happy and thriving".
"Trishna attends school, swimming, dancing and Kumon lessons, while Krishna is at attending Kinda, swimming, music, gymbaroo and continues to undergo a variety of weekly allied help therapies to support her development," the website reads.
Trishna was a big fan of her swimming and dance lessons, while Krishna was able to attend school a few days a week.
"Krishna also loves her swimming and arts and craft projects," the website added.
How will Nima and Dawa's surgery compare?
The surgery to separate Nima and Dawa Pelden won't be exactly the same as the one used to separate Trishna and Krishna -- as lead paediatric surgeon Dr. Joe Crameri said earlier this week, no two pairs of conjoined twins identical in the "way they are connected".
As Trishna and Krishna were connected via the skull and brain, a team of neurosurgeons were largely the ones doing the operating; for Nima and Dima, who are connected via the lower abdomen, it's likely to be surgical paediatricains.
But the team will be relying on learnings gained from that surgery, particularly with intensive care specialists and anaesthetists.
READ MORE: Conjoined Twins 'Facing Each Other' To Be Separated
"I'm a bit anxious, but I'm excited at the opportunity [to operate]," said Crameri on Tuesday.
"These things don't happen for us very often, and it is a way for us to test our skills and our training.
"Like everybody, we just want to facilitate a good outcome for these twins, and we just want them to be able to go home and live a normal life within the environment they've grown up in."
Contact the author: abrucesmith@networkten.com.au
Photo: Getty