The passage provides a brief biography of Ben Carson, focusing on his role in separating conjoined twins Patrick and Benjamin Binder when he was 33 years old. The risky surgery was a success, preserving both boys' lives, as other medical teams had said it could not be done without one twin dying. The passage notes how difficult the process must have been for the boys' mother Theresa Binder, who had searched extensively for a surgeon able to separate the twins safely.