CLEVELAND - The parents of 3-year-old conjoined twins said Friday that they are worried but hopeful as they await high-risk surgery to separate their daughters.

Rev. Alin Dogaru holds the right hand of his daughter, Anastasia, and his wife, Claudia, holds the left hand of her daughter, Tatiana, as they walk the girls down a hallway at Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, Friday, April 20, 2007, in Cleveland. A team of up to 50 doctors and nurses will separate the 3-year-old girls in four stages over several weeks at Rainbow in Cleveland. The surgeries are tentatively scheduled for late May. [AP]

"It's kind of an anxious time," the Rev. Alin Dogaru said in an interview with The Associated Press while sitting hand-in-hand with his wife, Claudia. "Of course we are concerned about their health," he said.

A team of up to 50 doctors and nurses will separate the 3-year-old girls in four stages over several weeks at Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital in Cleveland. The surgeries are tentatively scheduled for late May.

Before the interview, Claudia Dogaru gently lifted up the girls ¡ª Anastasia in a blue dress was held in her mother's left arm and Tatiana with a pink dress in her mother's right arm ¡ª and placed them in a two-seat stroller.

The top of Tatiana's head is attached to the back of Anastasia's. Twins born joined at the head ¡ª called craniopagus twins ¡ª are extremely rare, occurring in about 1 in 2.5 million births.

Claudia Dogaru said she was facing the future with prayer.

"I will face every day at a time. I will pray," she said. "I cannot say what's going to happen tomorrow."

The twins, who were born in Rome, arrived in Cleveland several weeks ago after 2 1/2 years in Dallas.

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Among the surgical risks are the possibility of brain damage, stroke or a fatal amount of blood loss.

Anastasia, the larger twin, also requires a kidney transplant; she has no kidney function and relies on Tatiana's kidneys.