Mother of once-conjoined Filipino twins thanks NY doctors

Formerly conjoined twins Clarence, left, and Carl Aguirre, 12, embrace while relaxing with their mother Arlene at the family's home in Scarsdale, N.Y., Thursday, July 31, 2014. On Monday, Aug. 4, the family will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the surgery that separated the twins at Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx, where the surgery was performed. AP/Kathy Willens

NEW YORK — A Filipino woman who gave birth to conjoined twins has thanked the New York doctors involved on the 10th anniversary of the boys' separation.

During a celebration Monday at Montefiore Medical Center, Arlene Aguirre said she put all her trust and hope in the hospital's surgeons.

The 12-year-old twins have not had equal outcomes. Clarence Aguirre is close to being a normal preteen. But his brother Carl has trouble walking and talking.

The boys attended the celebration and guests watched a video of Clarence dancing.

Dr. James Goodrich, the lead surgeon in 2004, called the separation a success. He gave a short lecture on the history of separating conjoined twins.

The family, which is from Salay in the Philippines, lives in the U.S. on a medical visa.

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