The Amazing Story of The Connected Herrin Twins: How They Look Now

Kendra and Maliyah Herrin were born closer than most siblings (literally). The girls were born conjoined, and from the very start their lives were basically a miracle!

Jake and Erin Herrin had the twins on February 26, 2002 in their home town of Salt Lake City, Utah. The girls were born as Ischiopagus/Omphalopagus conjoined twins, meaning they were connected at their abdomens.

Many conjoined twins do not survive Utero due to the host of health complications that often accompanies them. And, it is a rare condition affecting only one in every 200,000 births.

While it was clear that the girls were fighters since they had defied the odds right from birth, there were still complications due to the fact that they were conjoined. For the first three years of their lives they lived as conjoined babies.

Jake and Erin felt paralyzed by the decision at hand. If they allowed the girls to remain conjoined, they might regret the division later in life if major health issues arise for one or both of their daughters.

Fortunately, the Herrin parents had medical experts on their side. Surgical teams are able to successfully separate conjoined twins, but the Herrins were not eager to allow their two 4-year-old daughters to undergo such invasive surgery.

The young Maliyah and Kendra shared multiple organs, the kidney was the one that would pose the greatest threat to the girls’ health. One kidney cannot sustain two individuals forever.

Now that the decision was made, they faced the difficult challenge of explaining to their daughters what this meant for them. Maliyah later explained on her YouTube channel: “We were only three when my parents talked to us about separating us… we understood what it meant but we didn’t understand the risks”. 

Erin and Jake started to prepare their daughters the best they could for surgery. They had wonderful nurses who made them feel as comfortable as possible.

The procedure that was required to safely separate the twins was not a simple one. The girls were connected by their organs and their skin so the doctors had to come up with a plan that involved loosening their skin to allow for access.

In the final week before surgery, the Herrin parents went all out to make it special for the girls. They wanted to make the most of every moment, because there really was no guarantee that the girls would be okay.

Finally, the girls were in the hospital and being prepped for the procedure. Erin and Jake were nervous wrecks but they were grateful for all the nurses and doctors who were helping to make it the most comfortable experience possible for their daughters.

To protect the girls as much as possible the nurses had them do a scavenger hunt in the hospital as they were being rolled to surgery. Kendra later explained that they “were finding numbers around the hospital leading to the operating room”. 

Apparently, the surgery was actually only supposed to last an hour, but the operation ended up taking a whopping 26 hours to complete. 6 surgeons and 25 support staff participated to make sure the girls were separated safely.  

Luckily, the girls had an amazing support system, not only in their family, but in their fans as well! The gris had garnered fans from people in Salt Lake City and elsewhere who had heard of their story.

The doctors were faced with a difficult decision when separating the girls: They had to give the kidney to one of the twins. Kendra got the kidney while Maliyah had to go on dialysis for 9 months until their mom was able to donate her  kidney.

Dialysis was on the waitlist for organ donations and it appeared she would be on dialysis for another year. Erin was so impressed at her daughter’s ability to remain positive in this difficult time.

While her body didn’t immediately reject the kidney, placing a new organ into someone’s body comes with a host of concerns. She goes in every month to get it checked but the poor girl has still had 3 scares with the new kidney. 

All twins are close, but the Herrin twins were closer than most. Can you imagine being born with someone at your side and even sharing organs with them, to then be separated? It was an adjustment for the young ladies!

Having their own identities is important to the girls. While they are identical twins, they don’t think they bear much of a resemblance to each other. Even more different than their looks; however, and their personalities. 

The girls really loved high school together! They have found great friends and everyone is kind to them. They sometimes find it difficult if their classes are far away as it takes them a little longer to get there than the average student. 

The girls had a routine that they liked to stick to when they were in highschool. They’d go to school together and spend time with their friends. Since then, they’ve moved out together and have their own place! They will switch off making dinner each night.

As it turned out, the stool on wheels at the doctor’s office happened to be exactly what the girls needed to easily move around the house. Apparently, when they were younger, their dad had them try it out to be able to roll around the kitchen and they’ve been using them ever since.

The Herrin twins are lucky to have such wonderful friends around them that support and love them. Maliyah stated in one of their YouTube videos: “Yes, we have one leg. Our friends don’t even care. They hardly notice”. 

Donna, the girls’ physical education teacher, agrees with their friends that the girls are truly an inspiration. She explained that when they first came to her class they were very timid and shy. They told Donna that their goal was to be able to walk on crutches by the end of the year (in 2019). 

The girls were encouraged by those around them to start their own YouTube channel. Since everyone felt so inspired by them in their personal lives, they felt they had an important message to share with the rest of the world. 

The twins’ parents think that their presence on social media has improved the girls’ confidence. Jake stated that “it gives them something to drive them, something they’re interested in”. They started filming videos when they were teenagers.

There’s no denying that Kendra and Maliyah had it rough right from the start, but their strength has cultivated their positive outlook on life. Kendra even joked, “The best thing about only having one leg… we only have to paint one set of toenails, so that’s really nice”. 

The girls intend to use their voices to speak on the importance of inclusion and advocacy. They welcome questions about their medical history so they can educate people on their experience and others who have had similar ones. 

In February of 2022, the girls turned 20 years old and live independent lives that are not so different from any other pair of sisters. Kendra got a job at a grocery store after high school and wants to go to school to become a medical assistant in the future.