Conjoined Twins Were Famous In 2002 — Eighteen Years Later They're Back On The Internet Sharing Their Separate Lives
Oct 27, 2020 by apost team
Kendra and Maliyah Herrin have been through quite a journey together.
On February 26, 2002, the twin girls were born conjoined in Salt Lake City, Utah, sharing a large intestine, bladder, liver, and single kidney.
Doctors originally told their parents, Erin and Jake, that the girls did not have the organs that they needed to survive on their own outside of their mother's womb. One doctor even recommended that the couple abort their twin girls, stating that they would never be able to live on their own.
However, the doctors were wrong.
Be sure to reach the end of this article to see the full video :-)
As told on the Oprah Winfrey Show, after the precious girls lived conjoined for the first few years of their lives, Erin and Jake decided to try the separation surgery when the girls were four years old. The concerned parents knew that this was the only shot that the girls had at a normal life.
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The separation made worldwide news because it was the first time that surgery had been attempted to split a kidney.
Erin and Jake were able to breathe a sigh of relief when the girls survived the surgery. It took six surgeons a total of 25 hours to complete the surgery, according to The Guardian. Kendra kept the shared kidney while Maliyah had to undergo dialysis until she received her mom's transplanted kidney.
Today, the Herrin twins seem to be thriving. The 18-year-old sisters have graduated high school and now run a successful YouTube channel where they upload content highlighting their daily lives. In a recent video, shown below, they provided their nearly 50,000 followers with a life update.
It has been a long road for the twins, but they are now thriving. These videos of the girls at both 11 and 18 years old show this determination and love for life. After you have watched this video, be sure to spread the inspiration to everyone else that you know.