Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Twins Krista and Tatiana
Krista Hogan and Tatiana Hogan were born on October 25, 2006. They are conjoined twins. They are joined at the top, backs, and sides of their heads. They were born in Vancouver, Canada.
At birth, they were described as “wriggly, vigorous and very vocal”. They live in Vernon, British Columbia and travel to Vancouver for care.
Tests on the twin girls in April 2007 showed that Tatiana’s heart is working harder than her sister’s and that she has high blood pressure because of it. Tatiana is smaller and less robust than Krista. A surgery is planned to give Krista’s heart a “jump start” so Tatiana’s heart will not have to work so hard.
The twins’ nervous systems are highly interconnected. Their doctors reported that when one of the girls is tickled, the other jumps, and that putting a pacifier in the mouth of one child could cause the other to stop crying.
Their birth, potential separation, depth of community support and their family’s financial situation have been subject to significant media coverage in Canada. The twins and their mother were also guests on The Tyra Banks Show in the US.
In August 2007, it was declared the girls cannot be separated, due to the likelihood of the surgery killing or paralyzing one or both girls.
Girls are now three and a half years, they go – awkwardly, but pretty quickly – talk and charm all around.