The diagnosis, however, came thanks to ultrasound scans by Dr. Nadia Assanta, director of the Cardiac Pathology Unit at the Ospedale del Cuore: "I didn't know they were twins," she confides . "I examined the first one and diagnosed her with heart disease. When the second one arrived, I thought it was the same baby because they are identical. It was then that I discovered they were identical twins. With the same beautiful eyes and the same serious heart defect."

"My fear is twofold," the mother said before her daughters entered the operating room. But the surgeries went well, and the heart defects were permanently corrected in both cases. And the girls remained in intensive care for just five days, on the same bed, before being discharged and immediately sent to the regular ward. 

In short, they are doing well, as are 24 other patients operated on during the mission, which is part of a project started by Bruno Murzi in Eritrea 20 years ago. "These two little twins are both a symbol and confirmation of our commitment to healthcare cooperation in support of the most disadvantaged countries ," says Luciano Ciucci, CEO of the Foundation. "International cooperation is, in fact, in Monasterio's DNA."