Mel Gibson checks on formerly conjoined twins

Guatemalan conjoined twins who were separated nine years ago turned 10 this past weekend.

The twins, Maria de Jesus and Maria Teresa, were connected at the skull, but were separated in 2002 at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in a painstaking 23-hour procedure that required untangling and disconnecting the babies' shared blood vessels.

Pictures: Mel Gibson attends party for formerly conjoined twins

The sisters returned home to Guatemala, but Maria Teresa contracted a devastating case of meningitis and the twins returned permanently to the United States for ongoing care.

Now known as Josie and Teresita, they get 24-hour care and live with separate host families, but see each other several times a week.

On "The Early Show," CBS News Correspondent Priya David Clemens shared a look at the girls' birthday celebrations, which even brought out Mel Gibson.

Not publicly known at the time of the girls' surgery, Gibson and his family partnered with the Mending Kids organization to privately finance the surgeries. Gibson has remained close to the twins ever since.