The Sunday Mail
If the wish of Ms Agnes Mangoro, the mother of the Siamese twins who were successfully separated by a team of local doctors, were granted, her boys, Tapiwanashe and Kupakwashe, will one day become successful surgeons.
Ms Mangoro believes nudging the twins towards medicine as they grow is the best way to express gratitude to a nation that stood by her family through trying times.
Describing them as special, the 25-year-old mother said the children were destined for greatness.
“The only way my boys will give back to the nation is by becoming surgeons themselves who will help children born with similar conditions,” said Ms Mangoro, smiling warmly.
“The doctors told me their condition was rare. To me, the success of that operation points to a great future for them.”
Last week, Zimbabwe made medical history when local surgeons separated the 10-week-old babies. The operation was the first to be carried out without help from foreign experts.
Ms Mangoro, her husband Mr Moses Chitiyo, and the nation were naturally elated after the ground-breaking surgery set the boys on the road to a normal life.
Ms Mangoro, in a chat with The Sunday Mail, said events had unfolded like a dream — at first a bad one, and then a joyous one.
“From the early days of the pregnancy, I experienced complications. The doctor told me I was carrying twins. I had problems with my right leg; that problem still persists.
“When I gave birth, I was tired and did not notice the boys were joined from the lower chest to the upper abdomen. When I woke up the following day, I was shocked.”
The twins were subsequently transferred from Murehwa District Hospital to Harare Central Hospital where it was determined they could be separated.
Trepidation flooded their mother’s mind. She was nervous, and hoping for the best.
The operation took what seemed like eternity to her.
“The doctors gave us periodic updates. When we learnt they had opened the stomach and separated the boys, my heart sank. I nearly broke down. I thought it would be end of story.”
However, anxiety and anguish quickly turned into joy when news of the successful operation was announced.
“I have never been that happy in my entire life. I did not know whether to cry, laugh or sing. The feeling can never be replicated.
‘I urge women never to abandon their babies if they are born with disabilities. God has the solutions to our daily problems.”
To top it all, the historic operation was a blessing in disguise as Ms Mangoro’s long-held wish to meet President Mugabe was fulfilled.
She described First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe, who donated baby products to the twins, as a “sweet and kind mother”.
At the rate that her dreams are coming true, who knows? Maybe her boys will indeed one day be surgeons trailblazing a new path for Zimbabwe’s medical sector.
