Crystal and Cristina Molina share a bond closer than most siblings. Not only are the sisters identical twins, born July 16, 2004, but they are joined at the head, one of the rarest types of conjoined twins. Parents Blanca Cabrera and Bernardo Molina of Coachella Valley delivered the girls at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital knowing this.

An ultrasound in March 2004 showed Cabrera was carrying craniopagus conjoined twins. Only two percent of conjoined twins are joined at the head. A little frightened, Cabrera and Molina had the support of a 120-member team to deliver and care for their babies through what would be a very successful separation surgery a year later.

The twins’ skull bones were fused together, but no other major tissues were joined. Their brains were completely separate and even their blood vessels were apart, though one of the reasons for performing the separation surgery on children so young came from imaging that showed gradual evidence of the two girls’ circulatory systems beginning to merge in their skulls.

Renatta Osterdock, M.D., lead neurosurgeon for the Molina twins, worked with one of the largest multidisciplinary teams ever assembled at Children’s Hospital to meticulously chart a treatment plan for the girls from prenatal care all the way through post-operative care and discharge.

Companies donated specialized equipment and beds for the twins’ surgery, including a van for the family’s transportation. In addition, KNBC Channel 4 reporter Mary Parks documented the entire separation process with the help of Medical Center audiovisual staff.

“It was truly remarkable to see how everyone came together to care for these girls,” Osterdock beamed, a glint of a tear in her eye, on March 22, the day the twins went home separate for the first time.

Three weeks prior, on March 3, after two months of pre-operative care tense with the risk of infection from skin expanders and implants for immobilizing the girls’ heads during surgery, she spent two hours working with a five-member anesthesia staff, led by Linda Mason, M.D., and Alexander Zouros, M.D., to separate the girls.

After the successful separation, Osterdock took a brief break to inform the parents of the good news before spending another three hours in the operating room as Andrea Ray, M.D., lead plastic surgeon for the Molina twins, worked with her team to reconstruct the girls’ skulls.

The twins were able to leave the hospital on March 22 after a luncheon to celebrate the successful surgery and complication-free post-op care. KNBC Channel 4 aired a 10-part series documenting the girls’ stay and the care received during the week of March 28 to April 1, and an hour-long special covering Crystal and Cristina’s experience aired April 17.