The chances of a mother having conjoined twins seems rare–it happens once every 200,000 live births–and so it is surprising and heartbreaking to a parent when they are told their children will be born with this condition.

Approximately 40%-60% of conjoined twins do not survive the womb, 35% survive a day, and the chance of survival for conjoined twins overall is only between 5% and 25%. One can only imagine how Nicole and Christian McDonald, mother and father of conjoined twins, Jadon and Anias McDonald, felt looking at these odds. One can also imagine how they felt when the babies opened their eyes for the first time after their surgery.

Over the past year, the boys have gone through multiple surgeries, each one slowly separating their shared brain. Moving from the smaller surgeries to the final separation was scary for Nicole and Christian, but before the long and eerily silent procedure, they knew that the risks of the surgery would be worth it. Around 27 hours later, (with a separation procedure of around 16 hours) Anias and Jadon began their new and apart lives. Jadon was the first to leave the operation, but hours later he was still unable to move one half of his body. The doctors assured the parents the paralysis would be temporary, but Nicole stated that it’s only natural to worry.

This was truly amazing due to the unlikelihood of the twins living through the separation. After this monumental surgery, it will be sure to lead may new discoveries on conjoined twins.