Joseph and Luka Banda

Joseph Banda and Luka Banda (born January 23, 1997, in Lusaka, Zambia) are twin brothers who used to be conjoined. They were born joined at the back of the skull and faced in opposite directions. In 1997, Dr. Ben Carson led a team of 50 Zambian and South African specialists to separate the 11-month-old twins in a 22-hour operation. They did not share any organs, but shared intricate blood vessels that flowed into each other's brains. In 2001, the twins were fitted with artificial skulls to permanently close their heads, and are neurologically normal. In an interview, Dr. Carson stated about the operation:

"In the end, the Bandas became the first Type 2 craniopagus twins (joined at the head and facing in opposite directions) ever separated with both surviving and both being neurologically normal."

They are residing in a low-cost/high-density area of Lusaka called Chilenje South.