Two Heads, One Body: The Remarkable Story of Conjoined Twins Katie & Eilish | Our Life

The programme follows Irish siamese twins Katie and Eilish for 12 months up to the separation operation which results in the death of Katie. It is an intensely moving portrait of the remarkable family.

This film was first broadcast: 22 Aug 1995

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[threeblessings]

The way the dad speaks about his wife and her love for them is so beautiful..such a lovely man

[paigevasquez]

Ok people. They didn't know about Katie's heart issue because in conjoined twins the systems interact. They had no way then to measure the output of each heart. Eilish's was doing the bulk of the work which they didn't know at the time. This was 3 decades ago. If any of you critics are actually health professionals AND specialize in pediatric surgery AND have extensively studied separation of conjoined twins, you still weren't on this medical team and didn't study their configuration....all sets are completely unique. None of you are qualified to say what decision should have been made. I am sure these parents agonized over the decision and none of you should judge them.

[PLK]

The father is an absolute gem. What a wonderful man, husband, and daddy.

[arithromaniac]

Rest in peace, Katie ❤

For Eilish, the way they described her being so jarred at the fact her sister was no longer there, as in she physically flinched or jumped, made me feel such complex emotions.

Really describes how much of a comfort Katie was for Eilish.

I’m so sorry that they couldn’t grow up together.

[guardiansanimalrescuestate]

I’m tired of people saying if they had left them together they would both still be here. That is simply NOT TRUE.
Katie had an extremely weak heart that couldn’t be fixed at all while the girls were still conjoined .
Her weakened heart would have killed both girls. Once one twin died, the other would go septic immediately as decomposition starts IMMEDIATELY after death.
It’s easy for everyone to sit here on YouTube and say what these parents should have done....don’t judge unless u were there and had all the facts.

[megg.]

The parents' attitude is what has gotten them through this. Very special people.

[lisapeesalemonsqueezah]

Poor Eilish! Can you imagine? Your sister, your twin sister, with you for every second of every day. There for eachother's first words, your first steps together. Being separated in the best of circumstances would be hard enough. Waking up without her there for the first few times, and then one day waking up with her not there, knowing you will never see her again. Even though she was only 3, I doubt she's ever forgotten that. I am absolutely heartbroken for this poor girl. I'm so happy to hear that she has taken on a piece of Katie's personality. She'll always have that.

[hamishmitchell]

The girls were surrounded by so much love and care. The community accepted them with open arms. Unique indeed, but beautiful and amazing family. Katie will always be remembered

[nataliepearson]

I love how this family constantly kiss and cuddle each other. Just beautiful!

[badmomba]

These parents are so eloquently spoken, they are the epitome of grace in the face of true difficulty.

[luckyluke]

Nothing is more precious than seeing small children smiling and being happy.

[a.walters]

That father has to be one of the most lovely people I’ve ever seen. Such a huge heart full of dedication, patience and unyielding love he has. Even with those two previously conjoined twin boys that weren’t even his own, his heart was just brimming with love for them. What a great blessing to have a father in your life like that, it is not a thing that all children have, but most definitely all children deserve.

[owleyes]

She is the most beautiful little girl I have ever seen. Truly a smiling little angel. And such lovely parents!!,

[Chikinninjas]

The way Mom joined in on the game of "pelt each other with dirty grass" made me love her. Many mothers would just get mad at the kids for messing up the grass. She and the husband are both so tender and empathic towards children. I never would've thought to make illustrative dolls for the girls prior to surgery. And every time they reached up to stroke a parent's eyebrow, the parent would lean closer.

[lyndainlv]

You NEVER know how strong you can be until you HAVE to be that strong. Their children are beautiful 💕

[bsdetective]

The way this was edited, it doesn't show how devastated the family was over Katie's death but we know they all were. My heart goes out to them all.

[mackinacisland]

People saying they would never do this to their children have absolutely no idea what they would do. It always amazes me how people can say what they would or would not do in a situation they have never faced. Unless you have faced this awful decision u don't know what u would do.

[maulendemyrte]

Two children in an unique situation. Two sweet precious little angels. All my love to this wonderful family! ❤😢

[susanc.houghtondogandfolka]

When they said how she was depressed and not speaking after the surgery after her sister died, My heart broke for Eilish. Not only did she lose her sister being a part of her and having to get used to the sensation of being a separate person but losing her sister altogether, I can't even imagine what that'd be like for a poor 3 year old who probably didn't really understand everything that happened.

[lyrebird]

Such a difficult situation, but handled with such love.
Eilish would now be in her 30's. I hope she, and all her family are doing well.