This article is dedicated to the life story of the Siamese twins Zita and Gita Rezakhanov, who became world famous after the operation to separate them, which was successfully performed by Russian surgeons. From the very moment of conception, girls and their loved ones were destined to face trials that many people may find simply unbearable.
An exception to the rule or a mistake of nature?
Siamese twins are twins who don't just look alike. They divide body parts and even internal organs into two. Being born into the world, these babies, which have not separated inside the uterus during the period of embryonic development, are interconnected. Few of the representatives of this category survive or can lead a full life, but sometimes there are truly miracles. Such are the Rezakhanov sisters, whose photos have repeatedly spread around the world.
Unbelievable but true
The sisters born in Kyrgyzstan are ischiopagus, which can have conjoinedthe lower parts of the body are in front or fused spines, and the bodies are turned in opposite directions. They are distinguished by one feature - a common ring-shaped pelvis. Such a pair of twins usually has three or four lower limbs, a fused large intestine, one bladder and one uterus or two testicles, depending on the gender of the twins.
Trial for the whole family
Siamese twins Zita and Gita Rezakhanov had a common pelvis, three legs, everything else was their own. These unusual twins were born in 1991 in a rural area of Kyrgyzstan. The fact that the girls were born was a real blow to the family. Relatives forbade the mother to communicate with girls, even the father was against communication. Most of my friends advised me to just give them up. But the mother's heart was torn to the hospital for special daughters. The emotional state of the mother every day was approaching a critical point. Doctors, in order to relieve stress and switch the mind of a woman, advised to give birth again. But even after the birth of a he althy girl, Zumriyat did not stop thinking about the twins.
Long road to victory
For eleven long years, parents Rashid and Zumriyat Rezakhanov have searched in vain for any opportunity to alleviate the fate of their daughters.
At that time in Kyrgyzstan, doctors did not have the opportunity to do something to help - operations to separate Siamese twins were simply not performed there. And all the mother's appeals to any instances of the country did not give any results. The whole family cherished the hope of separating the twins, in every sincereprayer to God sounded the same request. Parents also turned to Dagestan, from where their ancestors had previously been deported, but requests for help remained unheeded. The mother did not stop trying to help Zita and Gita, she was looking for an opportunity to have the operation in the near abroad. But even Russia was silent. Only German journalists responded. Representatives of a well-known television company in exchange for permission to make a film about unusual twins promised to raise money. The film was shot, but the help was forgotten, although at that time half the amount had already been raised.
When the circle is complete
The Rezakhanov sisters and their parents arrived in Germany in anticipation of the operation, where they met Russian-speaking Odessa Jews. The number of people who are not indifferent to the fate of the twins has grown. Some of them turned to the mosque with a request to help their co-religionists, but, unfortunately, the Muslims did not help. Others looked for support from FC Bayern and found the missing amount, but, as it turned out, the funds raised by the TV company had disappeared somewhere by that time. The circle closed, the operation did not take place. The despair of parents and girls knew no bounds. They were forced to return home with nothing.
An unexpected rescue
Thanks to the fact that Zita and Gita Rezakhanov became known to many near and far from the Kyrgyz village, help came from a Russian TV presenter with a medical education - Elena Malysheva. But the case was unique, and she had doubts about the appropriateness of such an operation.
Problems that were destined to be overcome
Startedpreparation. The tests were satisfactory, which means that the operation can be performed. Zita and Gita Rezakhanovs were waiting for her very much. The separation operation against all odds took place. It took place on March 26, 2003 in the Filatov Children's City Hospital under the guidance of Academician A. Isakov. Without even mentioning the particular complexity of this operation, the doctors faced the following problems:
- determining the correct dosage of the drug, since these are still two different people;
- whom to choose in case it is impossible to save both lives.
Incredible result
The duration of the operation was 12 hours. As a result, for the first time in the world, it was possible to separate Siamese twins, who had common unpaired organs of the pelvic region, and at the same time save both lives. During the operation, one leg was removed. As a result, each of the girls received one lower limb. Later, they will be able to move independently with the help of a prosthesis, but for now, many months of recovery were ahead.
The path through thorns
Twins Zita and Gita Rezakhanovs ended up in a rehabilitation center, then they were pupils of several orphanages and boarding schools in Moscow and the region. Three years later, the Rezakhanov sisters returned to their home, but annually visited Moscow for a medical examination and replacement of prostheses.
There was almost no help from the authorities of Kyrgyzstan, the family received only an allowance slightly more than 1000 rubles. Compatriots from Dagestan represented by successfulbusinessmen to help the girls were also in no hurry. The family lived off the household: cows and crops from the field, and maintaining the he alth of Zita and Gita required more and more financial costs. The money came only after the charity events. So, in May 2009, a charity event was held in the capital of Kyrgyzstan, which was dedicated specifically to the Rezakhanov sisters. People responded to someone else's misfortune. And as a result, almost a million rubles were collected for operations and treatment of twins. But sisters Zita and Gita Rezakhanova decided to help other children with this money and organized a fund to help disabled children.
The highest officials of the state also took part
Time passed, and the he alth of the twins required the intervention of doctors. The money transferred by the President of the Chechen Republic R. Kadyrov at the beginning of 2012 came in handy. A number of operations were performed, but now they were associated with the problems of the body of each individual.
The girls grew up, the problems became more and more
The Rezakharov sisters were under the constant supervision of doctors, taking the necessary medications. Spiritually, they were very close and practically did not exist without each other. They have common interests, friends … and morale is also common. As they matured, they became more realistic about their prospects. Zita and Gita Rezakhanov were saddened that they would never be able to hear their children laugh. The uniqueness of the figure did not allow them to wear a fashionable outfit. Yes, and have full fun onholiday, having a prosthetic leg is hardly possible. Hence, a feeling of inferiority, dissatisfaction with life is born, which inevitably leads to depression. Sadness, melancholy, tears have become commonplace, and here the hopes of getting a free medical education at a Moscow college have not yet materialized, where they promised to enroll without entrance exams. It was then that the sisters decided to devote themselves to serving God and began to study the sacred books in the madrasah at the mosque.
Having taken the blow of fate on myself
The girls had a lot in common, but this did not concern the state of he alth. It so happened that Gita's organism more successfully coped with the trials that fell to him. The girl continues to study diligently and even teaches others herself. Zita fate prepared something else. Her he alth was much more vulnerable than that of her sister. She underwent more surgeries, spending many months in a hospital bed. Zita's kidneys were failing, a most complicated surgical operation was performed in the abdominal cavity. Leading specialists took part in it: proctologist, urologist, gynecologist. And yet no one could guarantee a successful outcome of the operation. The patient's abdominal cavity was too non-standard, and the abscess in the uterus reached alarming proportions. But Zita won, survived!
Apparently it was meant to be
The joy was short-lived. Internal inflammation began, followed by blood poisoning and a coma. Everything seemed hopeless, but life still went on! In mid-autumn 2014, cardiac arrest occurred, butit was "launched" again. On the verge of death, the girl was about two years old with a constant high temperature, chronic pneumonia and all the same blood poisoning. She had vision problems, she saw with only one eye, and even then it was bad. Doctors fought for Zita's life with all the strength of medicines and advances in medicine. Diseases set in, and the vital forces of the body melted away with inexorable speed. Zita died at the end of October 2015.
These are two extraordinary fates of twin girls who were once a single whole. The Rezakhanov sisters deserve respect already for the fact that, despite everything, they did not give up and tried to find their place in life.
