The twins Kendra and Maliyah Herrin arrived in the world on February 26, 2002.

Their parents, Erin and Jake, were happy that their beloved daughters had finally seen the light of day.

At the same time, they were faced with a life-changing, difficult decision.

Kendra Deene Herrin and Maliyah Mae Herrin were born on February 26, 2002, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The sisters came into the world as a rare set of Ischiopagus/Omphalopagus conjoined twins and were sharing a large intestine, bladder, liver, and single kidney.

Kendra and Maliyah were connected at the abdomen and pelvis and shared numerous vital organs and one pair of legs.

Early on, the parents Erin and Jake knew that separating them was going to be incredibly risky.

Doctors told the parents that their girls didn’t have the organs needed to survive on their own outside of Erin’s womb.