Conjoined twins Azaria and Azora Elson departed Jamaica on Sunday for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia where they are scheduled to undergo life-changing separation surgery.

The 20-month-old toddlers, their mother, Iesha McMurray, and a team of medical professionals departed the island on a Medevac flight from Norman Manley International Airport.

They were scheduled to arrive in Riyadh on Monday following a brief stopover in the United Kingdom.

The arrangement was made possible through the intervention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, which facilitated dialogue between University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), where the twins were receiving care, and officials of the Government of Saudi Arabia.

Portfolio Minister Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Jamaica Dr Waleed bin Abdulrahman Alhamoudi, and the children’s father, Odane Elson, were among those present at NMIA to see off the twins and their medical team.

Azaria and Azora are omphalopagus conjoined twins — joined at the abdomen — a rare congenital condition occurring in approximately one in every 50,000 to 150,000 live births worldwide.

The girls share a liver and had remained at UHWI since birth, due to their condition and associated medical complications, including congenital heart abnormalities.

They will undergo extensive medical evaluations in preparation for the complex surgery, which is expected to take place within two months at King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital in Riyadh, under the Saudi Programme for Separating Conjoined Twins.

Senator Johnson Smith expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Saudi Arabian Government and King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, for facilitating the twins’ surgery and generously covering all associated medical, transportation, and logistical costs.

“This initiative, undertaken by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre and, indeed, under the aegis of the Royal Family, is one of the most beautiful ways in which the relationship between countries can be strengthened, because it demonstrates that those who have are able to help those who [don’t] have,” the minister stated.

— JIS