Two and a half years ago, Claudia Dogaru gave birth to Tatiana and Anastasia in a hospital outside of Rome, Italy. Doctors had informed the Dogarus during pregnancy that the girls were joined at the head, but they did not know the extent of the attachment. Originally from Romania, the Dogarus had moved to Italy after Father Alin Dogaru, a Byzantine Catholic priest, was transferred from Romania.

Born prematurely by emergency C-section, the tiny, joined girls remained in neo-natal intensive care for almost three months. Claudia did not even pick up her babies until they were three months old, because she was scared they were too fragile. Their father was the first one to hold them. The parents needed special instructions on everything -- on how to turn them over, to move them and to hold them. Nothing came naturally or easily.

After weeks of waiting on the decision of the Italian doctors regarding the possibility of separation, they were told it was absolutely not possible. They were sent home from the extended care facility with grave instructions to wait and keep the girls comfortable as long as they were able to survive. Claudia felt resigned to cherishing every remaining moment she had with her daughters.

“Then, I heard a news flash about Mohamed and Ahmed Ibrahim, the Egyptian twins separated in Dallas,” she remembers. Soon after, Alin’s sister in Canada found Dr. Salyer on the Internet. “Finally, there was a breath of hope – all was not lost,” professed Claudia. “But how would we do it? How would we ever afford a trip to Dallas. Would they take along our five-year-old daughter Maria? Thank goodness Dr. Salyer referred us to the World Craniofacial Foundation to help.”

Doctors have agreed to move forward with the girls’ surgery, but there is no denying the enormous risks involved, including loss of one of the girls, death of both or even severe brain damage, but the Dogarus are willing to live with results – whatever they may be. “I do not want to lose both of them, that is true,” says Claudia. “But I cannot just sit and wait to see what happens. I must do something. If I don’t, I’m condemning them, and I could not bear that. They are so full of life and playfulness, and I think they will always be happy. Their spirits deserve a chance. They are getting stronger every day and forming their separate personalities.”
Claudia treats them as normal children and they behave as two individual girls – fighting over toys, each wanting the same thing, screaming when they do not get what they want, struggling to get a view of the television, and trying their best to imitate their six year-old big sister, Maria. They occasionally try pushing each other away – of course, without success. When they do take a tumble, it is clear that they have both learned the ways to fall to protect themselves and their respective sister from harm.

It is fascinating to observe their distinct personalities. “Anastasia is bossy and pushes the two along, and Tatiana usually goes along with her. Of course, she really has no other choice. Anastasia is facing out and feels more in command of her world,” says their mom. But the dynamic is changing, as Tatiana has learned to walk and talk. She is learning to be more stubborn and to try to get her way some, too. These are enormous milestones for the girls. Their developmental tests show that they are completely in-line with other two-and-a-half yearold girls.

As they await the announcement of their surgery date, they continue to grow and learn, constantly pushing the envelope and testing their mother’s patience. Claudia doesn’t mind too much, though. Claudia often says of her girls, “I was born for them -- not them for me.”