SINGAPORE, 9 July 2003 — Iran and Singapore were in shock and mourning last night after the announcement that a historic attempt to separate adult Iranian twin sisters joined at the head ended when Ladan and Laleh Bijani died after a marathon operation. Due to the extensive and prolonged press coverage of the twins before and after their arrival in Singapore, many citizens here were visibly devastated by the news, which was splashed over local papers as though it were a national tragedy.
“Raffles Hospital regrets to announce that the Bijani twins, Ladan and Laleh, have both passed away during surgery to separate them,” a hospital statement said.
Doctors told a news conference afterward that the twins lost too much blood as the neurosurgical stage of the 52-hour operation, in which their tightly enmeshed brains were separated, was coming to an end.
“It was very disappointing for us that the blood loss was so tremendous in the final stages. This occurred mainly after they were separated,” Singapore neurosurgeon Keith Goh, who led the medical team, told reporters. Goh said the operation was much more complex than expected because, although the twins had individual brains, the blood flow through them was too closely intertwined. “I think that the debate, the argument and the controversies will go on forever and ever,” Goh said. “But I think that for those of us who were here over the last three days, the time and the commitment ... is a convincing indication of the belief that the decision was correct.” The fate of the twins was closely monitored in their homeland, with millions of Iranians absorbing the minute-by-minute updates provided on state-run television and radio.
Their lively personalities made them much-loved celebrities in Singapore too, where locals also followed developments. The progress of the operation was broadcast over the radio channels, and many office workers kept themselves updated by tuning in at their workplace.
The emotional public reaction in Singapore and the financial support Singaporeans gave to the Iranian twins and other charity medical cases that have landed on the shores of the island state has revealed another, more human side to a people who are normally seen as anonymous, emotionless digits in the international media.
Many people felt that it was a good thing that the twins chose to come to Singapore for the operation, as it showed that they had a high level of confidence in the island’s medical care system. Their story captured the imagination and concern of a wide spectrum of the population, from cab drivers who would proffer news of the operation to passengers, to management executives and retirees. Alice Kent, a local marketing manager, told Arab News: “I was confident that the operation would be a success. It’s really sad, especially since I am sure that the twins had a certain amount of hope since Siamese twins were successfully separated here before.” Joan Lee, an architect, had been apprehensive about the operation. “I was so worried by the possible complications for them, and each time there was some update I said a little prayer for them,” she told Arab News. “It’s sad that they didn’t make it.”
Ladan, generally recognized as the more feisty of the sisters, gave the world a glimpse of their unshakeable commitment during a press conference here last month . “We don’t have any fear about the surgery,” Ladan said. “We feel happy, excited and a little bit nervous, especially me.”
Laleh said she and her sister, both qualified lawyers, realized the dangers of the surgery but were focused only on a successful outcome. “We believe God will help us. We go to the gym every day to do exercises and we think positively. Mentally we must think positively,” Laleh said.
In Tehran, the man who brought up the two Iranian sisters told of his deep sadness — but also bitterness and anger — at their deaths. “We shared a house for 27 years and I feel a great emptiness,” said Alireza Safaian, who adopted the twins as children. A doctor himself, Safaian wept as he spoke to Reuters at his home in southwestern Tehran of his grief and distress at the decision of his daughters and the Singapore doctors to go ahead with an operation other surgeons had deemed simply too risky.
