A conjoined twin who survived a lengthy and highly complex separation surgery earlier this year has died on Christmas Eve, months after being separated from her sister.
Aruna Rodrigues passed away on Christmas Eve after developing severe complications linked to the operation that separated her from her twin sister, Kiraz, in May. She died at 3:51 p.m. from septic shock at the State Hospital for Children and Adolescents (Hecad) in Goiânia, in Brazil’s Goiás state, despite intensive medical treatment.
Aruna had spent several months in hospital recovering from the 19-hour procedure, which was carried out when the twins were 18 months old. Born conjoined at the chest, abdomen, and pelvis, the girls underwent an operation that involved a large multidisciplinary medical team and more than a year of preparation, according to hospital officials.
Kiraz died just days after the surgery in May.
Lead surgeon Zacharias Calil confirmed Aruna’s death in a message shared on social media late Wednesday. “Today, God decided to relieve Aruna’s suffering and took her to be close to her sister Kiraz,” he wrote. “It is an immense pain for all of us, especially for this family that fought with courage, faith, and love for their Siamese twins.”
Aruna’s father, Alessandro Rodrigues, said his daughter had recently shown signs of improvement. Earlier this month, she was moved from intensive care to a general hospital ward after months of close monitoring. However, she later developed an infection followed by a viral illness.
“The baby went through several procedures and several surgeries, and she managed to overcome all of them,” he said. “Unfortunately, she did not overcome this last one, which was leaving the intensive care unit for the ward.”
Hospital officials said Aruna had been monitored daily for seven months and was transferred to the ward on December 10 after her condition improved. Days later, she developed severe respiratory complications and was moved back to intensive care. Doctors later diagnosed a viral infection and confirmed that she died from septic shock despite all medical efforts.
Hecad said it provided full medical and psychological support to Aruna and her family throughout her treatment and confirmed that psychological assistance is continuing. The hospital also requested privacy for the family as they mourn.
Aruna and Kiraz were from Igaraçu do Tietê, in São Paulo state. According to their father, Aruna’s body was scheduled to leave Goiânia on Thursday morning to be returned to São Paulo for burial.
