Conjoined Twin Dies Two Years After Being Separated From His Brother

Conjoined Twin Dies Two Years After Being Separated From His Brother
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A little boy who was separated from his conjoined twin when he was a baby has died at the age of two.

Jacob Spates and his brother Joshua were joined at the rear of the pelvis and gastrointestinal tract when they were born on January 24, 2011.

They were attached at the pelvis and lower spine, but had separate hearts, heads and limbs.

At six months old they had to be separated because of the severity of Jacob's heart condition and endured a 13-hour operation.

But the boys recovered at different rates: Jacob remained in intensive care and needed more operations, while Joshua recovered quicker and was given the all-clear to go home with the twin's mother Adrienne Spates.

At the time, the mum, who has two other children, cried when her sons saw each other for the first time.

"I'm glad that everyone gets to see my baby and view them as separate people because they are and they have their own personalities," she said.

But tragically, doctors at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, announced that Jacob had died last week, although the cause of his death is unclear.

In September 2011, we covered the successful separation of Jacob and Joshua.

So very sad.