Doctors hope to separate twins, 4, conjoined at heart

HOUSTON -- A Venezuelan family is here in Houston in search of hope for their twin girls who are sharing a heart.

Maria de Los Angeles and Maria Gracia are almost four years old. They were born connected at the chest.

The family has been seeking help in Miami and are now in Houston meeting with doctors for a way to proceed. They're hopeful doctors can save one heart for one child, and they're praying for a transplant for the other.

"We are very positive, we don't have anything negative in our minds. If we are here it's because we believe in God, that they are both going to live and they are both going to be victorious with the separation," their mother, Ana Maria Ugarte de Parra, said through a translator.

This is all very early on in the process. Doctors still have to evaluate the twins and find out what would be required for a successful separation.

At this point, there's no time frame for any surgery.

The family is trying to raise money for their little girls through a GoFundMe account.