Pouring in Encouragements for the Separated Siamese Twins

While Siamese twins Sarang and Ji-hye Min are showing signs of fast recovery on the following day of the operation to separate them at their lower spine, encouragements and donations are flooding in from the netizens.

Dr Keith Goh and Dr Yang Ching Yu of Singapore’s Raffles Hospital had a press conference on July 23 at noon, on the second floor lobby of the hospital, and announced that ²Sarang and Ji-hye had a good night in the ICU of the seventh floor, and are being supplied with oxygen and nutrition through oxygen delivery devices and tubes,² and that ²they are recovering so fast that they even seem smiling.²

Dr Goh said that ²surgical operation to separate the twins was followed by urinary and plastic operations, with the help of specialists of each field.²

He added that, “the twin sisters will be treated in the Intensive Care Unit for five days and then will be moved to the ward,² and that ²the twins will be able to lead separate lives and may be able to have children when they become adults.²

At the news of the successful separation operation of the Siamese twins, words of congratulations and donations of encouragement started to pour in on the websites of the Child Protection Fund (www.ilivechild.or.kr) and the “Community for Sarang and Ji-hye (café.daum.net/loveinwisdom).”

Over 500 congratulatory messages were posted on the website of the Fund and the community, and over 500 people sent in donations.

An official of the Fund said that ²most donations are small amounts of 10000 to 20000 won,² and that ²an extra 20 million won was raised on 23rd alone.² The sum total of the donations mounts up to over 40 million won.

A netizen whose ID is ‘Littleflower’ deposited 100000 won wishing that ²they grow to be healthy and respected ladies who are dutiful to their parents.² A netizen named ‘Hope’ also entrusted 100000 won, asking the twins to ²grow up to be beautiful ladies now that they are done with such difficult operations.²

Meanwhile, the foreign press reported that Raffles Hospital, which was in a tragic mood after the deaths of the Bijani twins of Iran, has regained its vitality after the success of the Korean Siamese twins.

corekim@donga.com