Condition of Roderick twins-now age 4-updated

The separation of conjoined twins Shawna and Janelle Roderick in May, 1996, caught the world's attention. Theirs was the first such surgery ever to take place at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital. The twins, who are identical, were born facing each other joined at the abdomen, with shared liver tissue.

Now, four-and-a-half years after their separation, the twins live in Arizona with their parents, Jeff and Michelle Roderick. They're only just now starting to approach the normal height and weight for four-year-olds, but they are healthy and doing well.

This summer, MSNBC traveled to Arizona to do an update on the twins and film Shawna and Janelle taking part in their uncle's wedding as flower girls. The piece appeared on September 6 and has aired twice since then. The Rodericks were also interviewed by the BBC for a story about the controversy in Britain over conjoined twins Mary and Jodi.

[Scope, Autumn 2000]

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