Four-Year-Old Conjoined Twins Separation

Kendra Deene Herrin and Maliyah Mae Herrin, (born February 26, 2002), are former conjoined twins. They were separated in August 2006. They were the first set of conjoined twins to be separated to share a kidney. Kendra retained their shared kidney following the separation surgery, while Maliyah Herrin underwent dialysis until she was transplanted with a kidney donated by her mother in April 2007. Prior to the separation surgery, medical ethicists in the United States and in Europe discussed whether it was ethical to separate the twins because of the additional risk to Maliyah. Their family and doctors believed separation surgery would give both girls their best chance to live a normal life. The Herrin twins were approximately four and a half years old when they were separated in an operation that began at 7 a.m. on Monday, August 7, 2006, lasted nearly 18 hours, and involved six surgeons. Surgery then continued on the girls in two separate operations lasting up to eight more hours into the morning of August 8th. The twins went home from hospital to their family on September 17, 2006. Kendra retained the single kidney which the twins had shared. Maliyah immediately began hemodialysis, which continued until April 3, 2007, when she was transplanted with a kidney donated by her 26-year-old mother, Erin. Maliyah was reported to be doing well following the transplant, as was her mother. Video by NBC Information by Wikipedia

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YouTube | June 17, 2008

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