O.R. Illustrator

Willy Conley

 

On the morning of November 27, 1984, Willy Conley was called to the operating room to photograph the separation of conjoined twins who were born just the day before. The twins—joined at the abdomen—shared a digestive system from the small intestines down to the bladder. Normally, doctors tend to wait 4–6 weeks before surgically separating conjoined twins, but since the girls had an opening in their abdominal wall which exposed them to infection, they had to be operated on right away. Conley was told to bring lots of film and extra batteries for the camera and flash-unit, as it was going to be a long day.

The O.R. was bustling with medical personnel, including the media, yet everyone was excited and in good spirits. Two teams of doctors were required because they were in the highly unusual situation of dealing with two patients simultaneously. The chief of pediatric surgery requested that in addition to the requisite photo documentation and illustrations of the surgery, he would like a variety of photos shot around the room in a “pictorial essay manner.”

The entire procedure lasted 18 hours. Sadly, one of the twins died in the hospital eight months later. The other is now an adult living a full life with a family of her own—a lasting testament to the many forms of care that filled that long day.

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Willy Conley, born profoundly deaf, is an award-winning writer and photographer whose nine books include Photographic Memories, Plays of Our Own, Listening Through the Bone, and The Deaf Heart. Early in his career, he completed an internship in Hopkins’s Pathology photography department 48 years ago, then worked as a medical photographer at major U.S. hospitals, and later earned certification as a Registered Biological Photographer. He also serves as professor emeritus of Theatre and Dance at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., the world’s only liberal arts university for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. You can find more of his work on Instagram @willeecee and www.willyconley.com.