Formerly Conjoined Twins Finally Home After Celebrating First Birthday

A pair of formerly conjoined twins got to go home shortly after celebrating their first birthday in the hospital.

Twins Amari and Javar Ruffin celebrated their first birthday on Sept. 29, which took place just over a month after they were successfully separated by surgeons at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, according to a press release obtained by PEOPLE.

And on Tuesday, Oct. 8, they got to leave the hospital with siblings Kaylum and Anora and parents Tim and Shaneka to go to the family’s Philadelphia home.

“Seeing them each in their own beds was an indescribable feeling,” mom Shaneka said in a statement. “It feels like we are beginning a new journey as a family of six.”

The parents learned that their boys were conjoined during a routine ultrasound, according to CHOP.

Within days, they’d already met with a team and they soon learned that separation would be possible for the boys, who shared the lowest part of their sternum, diaphragm, abdominal wall and liver.

“This set in motion the plan for preparing the boys’ first milestone: a safe birth,” according to the hospital.

And on Sept. 29, 2023, the boys were born, collectively weighing about 6 lbs.

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After 10 months of planning, the eight-hour operation to separate Amari and Javar took place on Aug. 21. Once separated, the boys’ abdomens were closed and rebuilt, using layers of mesh and plastic surgery techniques to stabilize each one.

“Separating conjoined twins always presents challenges because each set of twins is different,” said Dr. Holly L. Hedrick, MD, a pediatric general and fetal surgeon at CHOP. “We spend hours rehearsing the flow of surgery prior to the big day – even practicing how to transfer each baby to their own bed. We work collaboratively as a team, ready to combine our unique skills to achieve a safe separation and a chance for these babies to lead healthy and fulfilling lives.”

After being separated, Amari and Javar continued working with physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech language pathologists and rehab medicine physicians “to ensure they continued to achieve developmental milestones.”

Some of the biggest highlights included learning to turn over and crawl.

When it was finally time to come home, the boy’s mom said the entire family is looking forward to being together at home.

She added, “We are so grateful to CHOP for helping make this day possible and letting us start this next chapter.”