Filipino conjoined twins now in Riyadh for surgical separation
RIYADH: Filipino conjoined twin sisters Klea Ann and Maurice Ann Misa arrived Saturday in Riyadh and are now being assessed for possible separation surgery under the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program.
The twins were taken to the King Abdullah Specialist Children's Hospital at the Ministry of National Guard upon arrival at Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Klea Ann and Maurice Ann, accompanied by their parents, were brought to the Kingdom from Manila upon royal directives.
They are the third conjoined twins from the Philippines to be placed under the program.
The program's medical and surgical team is headed by Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeea, who is also director general of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief).
The twin's parents expressed their deep gratitude to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their generous care and warm reception, as well as the comprehensive medical attention they received, SPA said.
In an interview published Saturday in Arab News, the twin's mother, Maricel Misa, was quoted as saying that since her babies were born seven years ago, she had been praying that one day someone would help make her children live a normal life.
Mrs. Misa, who owns a small shop with her husband in Lubang island in Mindoro Oriental province, central Philippines, have no other means to get their twins undergo costly surgical operation. Her prayers were answered when she got a call from the Saudi Embassy in Manila and told that the Kingdom was willing to help.
'We saw a post from Saudi Arabia about conjoined twins from the Philippines who had undergone surgery there, and I commented, saying I hope we can be helped too. Someone noticed my comment and reached out to me,' Mrs. Misa said.
Since its founding in 1990, the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program has separated more than 140 children born sharing internal organs with their siblings. Among them were Filipino conjoined twins Ann and Mae Manz — joined at the abdomen, pelvis, and perineum — who were separated by Dr. Al-Rabeeah and his team in March 2004.
A second Filipino pair, Akhizah and Ayeesha Yusoph — joined at the lower chest and abdomen and shared one liver — were successfully separated in September 2024.
Dr. Al Rabeeah, who is also an adviser at the Royal Court, has pointed out that the program 'reflects the Kingdom's principles of mercy and human solidarity without discrimination.'
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