>> IT IS A SUNNY MONDAY MORNING HERE IN TIMES SQUARE. HERE IN TIMES SQUARE. WE ARE BACK NOW ON GMA WITH A WE ARE BACK NOW ON GMA WITH A HEART WARMING REUNION. HEART WARMING REUNION. FORMERLY CON JOINED TWINS FORMERLY CON JOINED TWINS MEETING THE DOCTORS AND NURSES MEETING THE DOCTORS AND NURSES WHO PERFORMED THE SURGERY TO WHO PERFORMED THE SURGERY TO SEPARATE THEM. SEPARATE THEM. EVA PILGRIM IS HERE WITH THE EVA PILGRIM IS HERE WITH THE STORY. STORY. >> IT IS INCREDIBLY REMARKABLE. >> IT IS INCREDIBLY REMARKABLE. SEPARATING CONJOINED TWINS IS AN SEPARATING CONJOINED TWINS IS AN INCREDIBLY HIGH RISK OPERATION INCREDIBLY HIGH RISK OPERATION THAT TAKES MANY HOURS TO PERFORM THAT TAKES MANY HOURS TO PERFORM EVEN WITH SURGERY. EVEN WITH SURGERY. ONLY 60% OF SEPARATED CASES ONLY 60% OF SEPARATED CASES SURVIVE. SURVIVE. THAT IS WHAT MAKES AARON AND THAT IS WHAT MAKES AARON AND JAKE'S STORY SO SPECIAL. JAKE'S STORY SO SPECIAL. NOT ONLY ARE THE NOW TEENS NOT ONLY ARE THE NOW TEENS SURVIVING, THEY ARE BOTH COLLEGE SURVIVING, THEY ARE BOTH COLLEGE STUDENTS WHO ARE THRIVING. STUDENTS WHO ARE THRIVING. IT'S A REUNION 19 YEARS IN THE IT'S A REUNION 19 YEARS IN THE MAKING. MAKING. 19-YR-OLD TWINS AARON AND JADE 19-YR-OLD TWINS AARON AND JADE BUCKLES RETURNING TO CHILDREN'S BUCKLES RETURNING TO CHILDREN'S NATIONAL HOSPITAL FOR A SPECIAL NATIONAL HOSPITAL FOR A SPECIAL REUNION WITH THE DOCTORS AND REUNION WITH THE DOCTORS AND NURSES WHO GAVE THEM SEPARATE NURSES WHO GAVE THEM SEPARATE LIVES. LIVES. THEY WERE JOINED AT THE CHEST. THEY WERE JOINED AT THE CHEST. CHARLIE GIBSON WAS THERE FOR CHARLIE GIBSON WAS THERE FOR THEIR SEPARATION 19 YEARS AGO. THEIR SEPARATION 19 YEARS AGO. >> YOU ARE SO PRETTY. >> YOU ARE SO PRETTY. SO PRETTY. SO PRETTY. >> Reporter: IT WAS A RISKY >> Reporter: IT WAS A RISKY SURGERY WITH SO MANY WORRISOME SURGERY WITH SO MANY WORRISOME HOURS FOR THEIR PARENTS. HOURS FOR THEIR PARENTS. >> WHAT I AM DREADING IS LEAVING >> WHAT I AM DREADING IS LEAVING THEM IN THE OR. THEM IN THE OR. IT WAS VERY HARD. IT WAS VERY HARD. WE DIDN'T KNOW AFTER THEY WERE WE DIDN'T KNOW AFTER THEY WERE BORN IF THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO BORN IF THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO SURVIVE. SURVIVE. >> Reporter: ONLY ABOUT 1 IN >> Reporter: ONLY ABOUT 1 IN 50,000 CONCEPTIONS ARE CONJOINED 50,000 CONCEPTIONS ARE CONJOINED TWINS. TWINS. ONLY 1 IN 200,000 SURVIVE TO ONLY 1 IN 200,000 SURVIVE TO BIRTH. BIRTH. THE GIRLS SHARED A DIAPHRAGM. THE GIRLS SHARED A DIAPHRAGM. DOCTORS WEREN'T SURE IF THEY DOCTORS WEREN'T SURE IF THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO BREATHE ON WOULD BE ABLE TO BREATHE ON THEIR OWN. THEIR OWN. >> THE HEARTS WERE BEATING >> THE HEARTS WERE BEATING TOGETHER. TOGETHER. SO THAT WAS AN UNKNOWN. SO THAT WAS AN UNKNOWN. WERE THE HEARTS JOINED OR WERE WERE THE HEARTS JOINED OR WERE THEY SEPARATE? THEY SEPARATE? >> Reporter: AN ELITE TEAM OF >> Reporter: AN ELITE TEAM OF TWO DOZEN SPECIALISTS SEPARATING TWO DOZEN SPECIALISTS SEPARATING THEM IN HALF THE TIME THEY THEM IN HALF THE TIME THEY EXPECTED THP EXPECTED THP >> IT WAS A HUGELY EMOTIONAL >> IT WAS A HUGELY EMOTIONAL DAY. DAY. TO SEE THEM YEARS LATER JUST BY TO SEE THEM YEARS LATER JUST BY ITSELF IS VERY BIG FOR ME. ITSELF IS VERY BIG FOR ME. >> IF IT WASN'T FOR THE PEOPLE >> IF IT WASN'T FOR THE PEOPLE HERE, WE WOULDN'T BE HERE AT HERE, WE WOULDN'T BE HERE AT ALL. ALL. SO I THINK ABOUT THAT A LOT. SO I THINK ABOUT THAT A LOT. I HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT LIFE I HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT LIFE WOULD BE LIKE HOW WE WERE WOULD BE LIKE HOW WE WERE CONJOINED, FACING EACH OTHER. CONJOINED, FACING EACH OTHER. I DON'T KNOW HOW IT WOULD HAVE I DON'T KNOW HOW IT WOULD HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE TO LIVE A LIFE BEEN POSSIBLE TO LIVE A LIFE LIKE THAT. LIKE THAT. >> Reporter: TODAY THE GIRLS ARE >> Reporter: TODAY THE GIRLS ARE DOING GREAT. DOING GREAT. THEY ARE EXCELLENT STUDENTS AND THEY ARE EXCELLENT STUDENTS AND COLLEGE ATHLETES. COLLEGE ATHLETES. JADE RUNS TRACK AND PLAYS FIELD JADE RUNS TRACK AND PLAYS FIELD HOCKEY. HOCKEY. ERIN, WHO USES A WHEELCHAIR AS A ERIN, WHO USES A WHEELCHAIR AS A RESULT OF A SPINAL STROKE AT THE RESULT OF A SPINAL STROKE AT THE TIME OF THE SURGERY PLAYS TIME OF THE SURGERY PLAYS DIVISION I BASKETBALL ON AN ALL DIVISION I BASKETBALL ON AN ALL WHEELCHAIR TEAM AND JUST WON THE WHEELCHAIR TEAM AND JUST WON THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. >> EXCITED FOR THE GIRLS TO SEE >> EXCITED FOR THE GIRLS TO SEE THE TEAM THAT HELPED START A NEW THE TEAM THAT HELPED START A NEW LIFE FOR THEM BY SEPARATING THEM LIFE FOR THEM BY SEPARATING THEM AND GIVING THEM THEIR OWN AND GIVING THEM THEIR OWN INDIVIDUAL BODIES TO GO OUT AND, INDIVIDUAL BODIES TO GO OUT AND, YOU KNOW, CONQUER LIFE. YOU KNOW, CONQUER LIFE. THEY'VE OVERCOME SO MUCH, BUT THEY'VE OVERCOME SO MUCH, BUT THEY ARE JUST STARTING THEIR THEY ARE JUST STARTING THEIR LIVES RIGHT NOW. LIVES RIGHT NOW. WE ARE EXCITED TO SEE WHAT THAT WE ARE EXCITED TO SEE WHAT THAT NEXT CHAPTER HOLDS FOR BOTH OF NEXT CHAPTER HOLDS FOR BOTH OF THEM. THEM. >> AND THE GIRLS SAY THAT NOW >> AND THE GIRLS SAY THAT NOW THAT THEY ARE IN COLLEGE, NO ONE THAT THEY ARE IN COLLEGE, NO ONE KNOWS THEY ARE A TWIN, LET ALONE KNOWS THEY ARE A TWIN, LET ALONE A FORMERLY CONJOINED ONE. A FORMERLY CONJOINED ONE. IT'S JUST NOT SOMETHING THAT IT'S JUST NOT SOMETHING THAT NORMALLY COMES UP IN NORMALLY COMES UP IN CONVERSATION EXCEPT, OF COURSE,