Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation

After an operation lasting 7 hours, a team of doctors at Hualien Tzu Chi Medical Center on June 5 separated a pair of baby girls from the Philippines that had been joined since birth. It was the second successful surgery of this kind at the hospital, following the separation of another pair of baby girls, also from the Philippines, in 2003.

Rose Carmel Molit and Rose Carmelette Molit were born in October 2009 to Emile Molit, a junior high school teacher, and her husband, a factory worker. By the second day, the fees from the hospital had reached 100,000 pesos (US$2,100), an enormous burden for this couple on a modest income. They needed to find help for their daughters and were advised by the head of a nearby township that Tzu Chi had held a free clinic there on June 29, 2008 and that they should look for the foundation for help. They made an appeal through the local media; a hospital said that it was willing to help but said that Emile would have to raise the funds herself. When they heard the appeal, Tzu Chi volunteers, Philippines, drove one and half hour from the city of Cebu to Emile’s home and asked how they could help. She was very moved.

Two brand new lives
Last December two of the volunteers from the Philippines flew to Taiwan and explained the situation to Master Cheng Yen. She said that themedical center could set up a team to evaluate whether they could separate the twins. In February, the team, led by Dr Peng Haiqi, head of the pediatrics department at the hospital, flew to the Philippines and examined the two girls at their home. After a detailed evaluation, the team decided that they could do the separation; they assured the family that all would go well.

On March 31, Emile and the girls, accompanied by volunteers from the Philippines, arrived at the Hualien Tzu Chi Medical Center. The girls began two months of preparatory work; throughout this period, the twins and their mother were looked after with great care by the staff and volunteers at the hospital. The children received a special diet and the medical team made detailed preparations for the procedure. They carried it out on June 5, over a period of 7 hours. The two girls were successfully separated and are in good health. After the operation, Emile expressed her profound thanks to Master Cheng Yen, the foundation, the medical team and the volunteers for looking after her and her children so well.

Blessing from the Master
On June 2, she went to the Abode to receive the blessing of the Master and express her thanks to the Master in person. She was very moved and could not hold back her tears. “Thanks to you, I believe that soon my two girls will be able to lead an independent life of their own,” she said. Master Cheng Yen said that Tzu Chi wanted to help people in difficulty. “The people of the Philippines and of Tzu Chi have a close relationship, like members of the same family,” she said. “Bringing this child here from far away is like seeing a member of the family. The members of the medical team put all their heart into treating the two girls, so that the mother felt completely at ease, even though she was far from home.”

Life Wisdom: 06/07/2010 A New Life for Conjoined Twins from the Philippines