Former Conjoined Twins Kendra and Maliyah Herrin Are Now Seventeen

Kendra and Maliyah are currently grown up and living their own separate teenage lives after being conjoined thirteen years ago.

Kendra and Maliyah hail from Salt Lake City, Utah, and became known as conjoined twins, connected by their torso, making them share a large intestine, liver, bladder, and single kidney. Their rare conditioned was detected even before birth, and doctors advised they be aborted.

However, their parents, Erin and Jake, took the risk and decided to deliver their twins. At the age of four, the sisters made headlines around the globe as they made history being the first kidney-sharing twins to be separated.

Today, the girls are living their lives separately in the town where they grew up. Unfortunately, the procedure gave them only one leg each, yet they are eternally grateful for its enormous success.

Kendra and Maliyah have a YouTube channel where they feature their day-to-day activities, their story, and individual personalities as they inspire children all over the globe to be the best version of themselves and have hope that anything is possible.

“We don’t remember the pain of the surgery, but we do know that we recovered quickly,” Maliyah told “Health.” “Almost two weeks after the surgery, we were already jumping around our beds.”

The decision resulted in Maliyah getting their shared kidney. Meanwhile, Kendra depended on dialysis for nine months before their mother donated her kidney to the daughter. Unfortunately, Kendra’s body rejected the kidney after ten years, forcing her to be back on dialysis.

She waited months before an anonymous donor gave their kidney. Like her sister, Maliyah underwent several kidney transplants since they were separated. Both girls also had to have numerous follow-up procedures to ensure their healthy state.

“We’re both so glad that we’re separated,” Kendra said. “I think we’re closer now that we’re separated because I think if we were still conjoined, we’d fight all the time because we’d always be together.”

Another successful procedure of separating conjoined twins are Abigail and Isabelle Carlsen, who are also living healthily and separately. Last year, the twins called “miracle babies” because of their survival, celebrated 12 years being apart.

Their surgery back on May 12, 2006, included 17 surgeons and lasted 12 hours long, in a combined effort of hard work and prayer. Their recovery in the hospital took two weeks before they could go home in North Dakota.