Ervina and Prefina Bangalo were born in Mbaïki, in the Central African Republic, with the back of their heads joined together. Their chances of surviving were incredibly low. By chance, Italian doctor Mariella Enoc was visiting the paediatric ward they were in. She immediately fell in love with the babies and decided to take them and their mum, Ermine Nzotto, to the Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital in Vatican City, where pioneering neurosurgeon Dr Carlo Efisio Marras and a team of 30 doctors and nurses were able to separate them. It took almost two years and three surgeries to complete the separation. In June 2020 the children were finally able to look into each other’s eyes.

Presenter: Jo Fidgen

Producer: Alice Gioia

Picture: Conjoined twins, Ervina and Prefina Bangalo, with mother Ermine Nzotto before they were separated.

Picture Credit: Bombino Gesu Children's Hospital