Laleh and Ladan Passed Away - 2003-07-08

Laleh and Ladan have passed away - 2003-07-08. People around the world are mourning the death of two Iranian sisters who were conjoined at the head and wished to continue their lives separately. Laleh and Ladan Bijani died hours after doctors at Raffles Hospital in Singapore announced that they had separated their skulls and brains. Their deaths, which occurred after severe bleeding, marked the end of a 50-hour operation involving an international team. The news of Laleh and Ladan's death was met with disbelief and sorrow in Iran. Many Iranians followed the surgery's progress through television and radio. At Raffles Hospital, the head of the surgical team told reporters that the operation was more complicated than expected. Doctors at Raffles Hospital in Singapore reported that Laleh Bijani died today, Tuesday, due to severe bleeding. Shortly before that, Ladan Bijani had passed away. The two sisters were conjoined at the head, and their brains were fused together. Doctors had warned that this surgery was risky and could result in the death of both or leave them in a vegetative state. Such surgery had never been performed on adults before. Previously, surgeons had reported after the first day of surgery that the blood flow in the sisters' brains was not normal and fluctuated. Twenty-eight specialists from Singapore, the United States, France, Japan, Switzerland, and Nepal participated in the surgery of the late sisters.