Senegalese father living in Cardiff with his conjoined twins, who share one pair of legs and several organs, says it is a ‘huge privilege’ to raise them after being told they would not survive more than a few days

A father of conjoined twins has emotionally opened up about the “tremendous privilege and blessing” of witnessing his inspiring seven-year-old daughters’ “constant struggle for life” every day.

Ibrahima Ndiaye opened up about being a father to Marieme and Ndeye, who he brought to Britain from Senegal in 2017 when they were seven months old to seek help from doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.

The twins have separate brains, hearts and lungs, but share a liver, bladder, digestive system and three kidneys. Doctors had predicted that they would not survive more than a few days after birth.

In the new BBC documentary Inseparable Sisters, he cherished the joy of his children defying all odds as they filmed the girls celebrating their seventh birthday, and told the program about the challenges his family has faced.

“To be a parent with conjoined twins is something you didn’t expect,” he said.

‘Something you could never have imagined. I don’t want to pretend it’s easy. It’s not. But it is a huge privilege, a huge blessing.

“You feel happy when you witness this constant struggle for life.”

Ibrahima admitted he was shocked when hospital staff told him he would be the father of conjoined twins as he was only expecting one baby.

‘I read about conjoined twins. But it’s only for other people. Not for you. This isn’t going to happen to you,” he said. “You’re all knocked down.”

His world was thrown into orbit when he was told his new babies probably wouldn’t survive more than a few days.

“I prepared myself to lose them very quickly,” he revealed. “All we can do is stand with them and not let them walk this journey alone.

‘The two weeks passed, the four weeks passed. We started to build up hope and then we could see very clearly that we would be dealing with warriors. They clung to life.”

Marieme and Ndeye were born in Senegal in 2016, where doctors thought their best chance of survival was divorce.

The family contacted hospitals around the world – including in Belgium, Germany, Zimbabwe, Norway, Sweden and America – ‘begging’ for help, before choosing to bring the twins to London.

Ibrahima had hoped that doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London would be able to separate the girls and that they could return to their siblings in Senegal.

But tests showed that Marieme’s heart was too weak for the operation and doctors predicted that she would not survive the operation.

Officials at the hospital helped Ibrahima deliberate the options and ultimately it was decided not to separate the girls.

The father opened up about the impossible position he was in, saying, “Right now it’s just killing one of my children for another. It’s just something I can’t do. I can’t allow myself to choose who will live, who will die.

‘I never expected one. So I had one, two, three. It shows that no matter how complicated your task is, you can do it.”

Ibrahima and his daughters were granted discretionary leave to remain in Britain so that they could continue to receive medical treatment in Britain. They now live in Cardiff.

The twins’ mother returned to Senegal and is caring for their siblings.

Their father revealed on the program that he has embraced his “parental responsibility” to ensure the girls “have someone who will be there for them.”

“If you are told from the beginning that there is no future, you live for the present,” he added. ‘I am completely absorbed in this journey.’

At an emotional end to the program, Ibrahima gratefully addressed the hospital and school staff who supported him and his daughters on their journey.

“You fought for these girls, I witness it every day,” he said.

“You make life easier for me every moment… Thank you so much for everything.”

He also told the documentary that he and his daughters are “lucky to be part of this community” and “couldn’t expect better.”

“This shows how resilient they are,” he added. They’ve accomplished things no one ever thought they would, and they’re proving everyone wrong.

‘Where it comes from, I don’t know… They bring me such joy that I wouldn’t find anywhere else.

“It’s a huge blessing to be their father.”

Ibrahima concluded with an urgent appeal to parents who may be in a similar situation to him to ‘never give up’ – and ‘celebrate life’.