Formerly Conjoined Twins Prepare For Rite Of Passage: Their Quinceañera

EAST HOLLYWOOD (CBSLA.com) — When twin sisters Josie and Teresa Hull were born, no one ever thought they would live to be 15, let alone be preparing for a rite of passage in their life: their Quinceañera.

That's because the girls born in 2001 in Guatemala were conjoined at the head.

A year later, they came to Los Angeles to undergo an intense, 23-hour separation surgery at UCLA.

Since the surgery, all their follow-up care has been done at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

"I'm really excited. We're going to have a photo booth, we're gonna have candy, we're gonna have an In-N-Out truck," said Josie, who speaks for the both of them because her sister cannot talk.

"For Teresa, it's been a rougher road and we're just so grateful because we really did not think we'd make it to 15," said Jenny Hull, the girls' mother.

Dr. Mark Urata was a member of the surgery team that helped the girls. At the time, separation surgery was very rare, and the outlook for conjoined twins like Teresa and Josie was not good.

"If one gets sick, the other gets sick so the statistics aren't very favorable for having a long-term existence so separation I think for them has been wonderful," he said.

"Thank you for helping us survive and I really thank the doctors," said Josie.

And while these twins have accomplished so much in their young lives, Josie says there is still so much more to do.

"Since I've been with her, I want to give back. So I'm probably going to finished college and then go to nursing school," she said.