Conjoined Sisters Born As One, Now Thriving As Two | BORN DIFFERENT

TWIN sisters who once shared a body are now thriving after being separated. Erika and Eva Sandoval, 6, are formerly conjoined twins from California. When they were born, they were connected from the bottom rib cage to the pelvis, sharing a third leg. With only a 30% chance of survival, Aida, the girls’ mum, decided the risk of delivering the twins worth it. Aida told Truly: “Making the decision of bringing them into this world and having that 30% chance of holding them was something that we were willing to do.” Before their separation, the girls shared a liver but had their own heart and kidneys, which meant there was a possibility of separating them to give them a better quality of life. The twins were successfully separated in December 2016 by a team of 50 doctors and nurses. The surgery took 18 hours and was an incredibly emotional day for the family. Since their separation, the girls have adapted incredibly well to life as a two. Aida describes Eva as the outspoken, talkative twin whilst Erika is happy-go-lucky. When Eva grows up, she wants to be a vet whilst Erika wants to play basketball like Kobe Bryant. Despite people questioning her decision to have the babies and later separate them, it’s a choice Aida has never regretted. “I think bringing them into this world was the best decision ever.”