Defying the Odds: How Conjoined Twins Survived Against All Challenges

Four years ago, Ibrahima and his wife from Senegal were eagerly expecting a baby, with no reason to suspect anything unusual about the pregnancy.

Despite four ultrasound scans, none gave the slightest hint that she was carrying twins, let alone conjoined twins. These are twins conjoined at some part of their body, typically the head.

"The doctor told us right after the birth that the twins would die within a few days," Ibrahima recalls.

The father refused to accept the doctors' grim prognosis and said 'yes' to every 'no' given by the medical experts. "I knew I had to save them, so I took them from Senegal to the UK, where they could get all the surgeries they needed, giving them a good chance to fight."

Today, Marima and Ndeye attend kindergarten like any other four-year-olds. They play and make friends just like everyone else. "When I see them in the rearview mirror on the way to school, I feel like it's a dream," their father told BBC News. "For me, everything after their birth has been a bonus."

Marima and Ndeye have two separate hearts but share the same liver and digestive system. "Seeing them go to school and function like regular kids is an amazing accomplishment for me, and I just hope it continues like this."