Marie Dominique Ketsia and Grâce Dominique Kimberly: Siamese twins in danger

Charlette, a young mother from Côte d’Ivoire, had an exceptional birth that turned her life upside down. She rushed to the Hôpital Mère-Enfant in Bingerville, where she gave birth to Marie Dominique Ketsia and Grâce Dominique Kimberly, Siamese twins united by liver and intestine. For Charlette, traumatized by this unexpected double birth and the girls’ plight, the worry is immense.

Since giving birth, Marie Dominique Ketsia and Grâce Dominique Kimberly have been waiting for the operation that will separate them and allow them to develop normally. Now 4 months old, they have grown sufficiently to undergo this highly complex surgical procedure. But we have to act fast, as the little girls risk life-threatening complications at any moment.

Their mother, who dreams of cuddling them, can no longer hold them in her arms, as together they are too heavy to carry. It’s heartbreaking for their young mother not to be able to hold them in her arms, and even more so not to be able to afford the operation that would allow each of them to live separately, in good health.

Alerted by the seriousness of their exceptional situation, Professor Chardot, a pediatric surgeon at the Hôpital Necker-Enfants malades in Paris and a volunteer with La Chaîne de l’Espoir, and the teams at the Hôpital Mère-Enfant in Bingerville, are ready to intervene as soon as possible to separate the two babies.

Charlette has regained hope that her daughters will each live and grow up normally. But the operation must be carried out as quickly as possible, as their lives are threatened. For this, double the equipment and materials are needed, and two complete surgical teams are required.