Newswise — Los Angeles – Doctors, nurses and staff at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) got a special treat earlier this week – a sneak preview of the Quinceanera gowns worn by two very special patients – formerly conjoined twins Josie Hull and Teresa Cajas.

This weekend, Josie and Teresa will be the stars of their coming of age a celebration, the Quinceanera, which marks the transition from childhood to womanhood when young ladies turn 15 in the Latin community. “I’m really excited about our party,” Josie says. “We’re having cake, candy, a photo booth and an In-N-Out truck.”

Milestones like this are special for the young ladies. Born in Guatemala on July 25, 2001, conjoined twins Josie and Teresa, nicknamed the two Marias, were joined at the skull and the outlook was not optimistic. But shortly after their first birthdays, a 23-hour separation surgery took place on Aug. 5, 2002 at a Los Angeles hospital. In 2004, the sisters’ care was transferred to CHLA, where they have collectively undergone 32 surgeries and procedures by pediatric specialists in neurosurgery, orthopaedics, neurology and plastic and maxillofacial surgery. “It has been a more difficult road for Teresa,” says Jenny Hull, Josie’s mother. “We’re just so glad because we were not sure the girls would make it to 15.”

When the twins came to Children’s Hospital for the sneak preview, they were outfitted in their Quinceanera gowns and greeted hospital staff with smiles and hugs. Josie sang songs with their friends and family, served cake to CHLA staff and both girls posed for pictures on a red carpet. “So many doctors and nurses have helped us do so much and now I get to do dance competitions, sing and swim because of them,” Josie says. “They’re an inspiration to the medical teams helping them,” says Mark Urata, MD, chief of CHLA’s Division of Plastic and Maxillofacial Surgery and a member of the surgical team that separated Josie and Teresa in 2002. “At the time, separation surgery was uncommon, and the prognosis for conjoined twins like Josie and Teresa was uncertain. If one gets ill, the other could get sick too, so the statistics aren’t very strong for having a long life as conjoined twins. I think the separation has been a life-altering experience for them.”

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