Dad of Formerly Conjoined Twins Hopes His Girls 'Stay Close': 'I Always Tell Them That'

It's been a year since JamieLynn and AmieLynn Finley were separated during an 11-hour surgery — and both sisters are doing well

• Amanda Arciniega and James Finley are marking one year since their twin daughters were separated

• JamieLynn and AmieLynn Finley underwent the 11-hour separation surgery at Cook Children's Hospital in January 2023

• Amie required additional surgery after the first procedure, but is improving alongside her sister, according to their father

A pair of formerly conjoined twins are doing well one year after a successful separation surgery, according to their parents.

JamieLynn and AmieLynn Finley were successfully separated during an 11-hour surgery in January 2023, four months after they were born conjoined at the livers and chests, Cook Children's Medical Center previously said.

Mom Amanda Arciniega and dad James Finley took their daughters home nearly three months later, and later threw a special baby shower to celebrate.

Now one year later following the surgery, both girls are doing well and recently had their feeding tubes removed, their dad told ABC affiliate WFAA-TV. "They’re just so pretty and I’m just like ‘How am I gonna deal with this when I get older,’" Finley quipped.

Related: Conjoined Twins Separated in 1955 Open Up About Being First to Ever 'Survive and Thrive' Surgery

Amie is doing particularly well, having undergone an additional chest surgery before she and her sister left the hospital.

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The twins have quite different personalities, too, according to their father. "Aime is the kind, gentle soul, you can just see it in her eyes," Finley said.

"And Jamie, she’s my little firecracker,” he added.

Related: Nurse Held Conjoined Twin's Hand After She Was Born. 22 Years Later She Officiated Her Wedding (Exclusive)

This spring will mark one year since the girls went home from the hospital, though they came home more than two weeks apart. JamieLynn was released from the hospital on March 21, while AmieLynn came home on April 7.

Nonetheless, Finley and Amanda Arciniega, the girls’ mother, are looking forward to what the future holds for their daughters.

"I just hope they stick together, stay close, be sisters,” Finley told WFAA-TV. “I always tell them that.”

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