When doctors saw Shyla and Selah Oglesby on the ultrasound image, they didn’t think the sisters would survive. The twins were conjoined at the stomach, and doctors informed their parents that the girls’ chance of survival was between five and 25 percent.
But Shyla and Selah’s parents didn’t give up, and today, the girls are celebrating their second birthday.
Misty and Curtis Oglesby visited a doctor for a routine examination when Misty was in her 20th week of pregnancy. While performing the ultrasound, the doctor had some shocking news. Misty was going to have twins—but not just any twins. The two girls were conjoined at the stomach. The situation was dire and the twins only had a small chance of survival.
“The scariest part of it was the unknown,” said Misty.
Shylah and Selah were born with separate hearts and lungs, but shared a liver. But despite a large team of doctors who specialized in conjoined twins, the odds were against them.
Besides being conjoined, one of the twins also had a heart defect. Doctors only gave the girls a five to 25 percent chance of survival. Although the chances of their duaghters surviving were grim, Shylah and Selah’s parents never gave up home and left the girls at the hospital while the doctors prepared to perform an operation to separate them.
“They were perfect. To me, they were perfect. They were my sweet, precious little girls,” said Misty.
For two months, doctors examined the girls and prepared the twins for the operation. The surgery took six hours and everything went well.
The sisters were separated, and one girl was treated for her heart defect. And when it was all over, the twins’ parents could finally breathe again and start planning for the future. Their little girls had defied the odds and survived!
Today, two years later, the children are at home in Indiana with their parents. They have survived against all odds and are now healthy.
“I just want them to grow up and explore this world that’s around them and live life to its fullest because they’ve been given the opportunity that I’m not sure that they would have,” said Misty.
Watch a video about the twins here:
I’m so glad that both Shylah and Selah are healthy today. It’s incredible what doctors can do now. Please share this article with your friends if you were also moved.
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