'The best news of my life': Mother of Yemeni conjoined twins praises Saudi assistance

Doctors in Yemen had appealed for international support to help the twins

The mother of Yemeni Siamese twins expressed gratitude to Saudi Arabia's King Salman for his order to transfer the babies to a state of the art hospital in Saudi Arabia.

Mrs Samar, who asked for her first name to be withheld for privacy reasons, told The National about her joy at a phonecall from the Saudi Advisory Royal Court saying her twins will be evaluated by specialists in Riyadh .

"It was the nicest surprise and the best news I have ever received in my life," Yousuf and Yassin's mother said.

After Mrs Samar and the twins' Yemeni doctors appealed for urgent help, King Salman ordered the twins to be transferred to the King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh.

The state-of-the-art facility has a long track record of successful operations separating Siamese twins.

On Monday, Royal Court advisor Dr Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Rabeeah, who is also head of the surgical team for separating conjoined twins, announced the operation.

"I couldn't believe it when I answered the phone call, especially when they told me that they are calling us from the Royal Court, I thought it was someone lying to me" Mrs Samar told The National.

"Alhamdulillah it was true, they told me that King Salman ordered my twins to be transferred to Saudi Arabia as soon as possible for possible treatment" she added.

"No words could express my feelings after receiving the phone call," Mrs Samar said.

"I was relieved after a long time living in sadness and frustration because of the heart-breaking condition of my kids. Allah is the only one who can reward King Salman for such an unforgettable favour," she added.

"Thanks from the depth of my heart to him, I will keep praying for him as long as I am alive" Mrs Samar added.

Mrs Samar said she will travel with her twins and will be accompanied by her father because her husband is unwell.

"They told me that we are supposed to travel within the next few days, but they didn't give us a specific time," she said.

Yassin and Yousuf were born by caesarean section in October 2020, children of a family that shares an old mud brick house in the impoverished Al Trais village in Hadramawt province, southeastern Yemen.

"The cardiogram showed that they have separable brains, which gives us hope for them to survive after separation," Dr Sami Al Amoudi, from the health department in Hadramawt, told The National.