Lakshmi was separated from her headless, conjoined twin in a marathon 27-hour operation on November 6, 2007. Until the operation at the Narayana Health City, in Bangalore, Lakshmi's spine was fused with that of her conjoined torso, leaving her unable to walk or crawl.
The unprecedented operation involved a 36-member team of orthopedic, pediatric, neurological, plastic, micro vascular and intensive care surgeons led by Dr Sharan Patil. Working in six to eight-hour shifts, surgeons transplanted a kidney from Lakshmi's conjoined twin, separated their spines and repaired her pelvis before finally removing the parasitic torso.
Lakshmi gained worldwide fame during her groundbreaking operation, with TV and newspapers from America to Russia following her progress hourly.