Born with Two Heads

Overview

Manar Maged was born with two heads. The second has a brain, but no body. Despite this, the second head shows signs of independent consciousness - blinking, smiling, crying. It even tries to suckle. Worringly, Manar's second head is also a parasite and is slowly killing her. This condition, called craniopagus parasiticus, has only been recorded 10 times in medical history. Neurosurgeon Professor Lotvi has pioneered a technique to prevent the bleeding common in surgery on twins conjoined at the head. Bodyshock details the operation needed to save Manar's life.