FILE – In this July 13, 2006 file photo conjoined twins Kendra, right, and Maliyah Herrin provide medical attention to a set of conjoined twin dolls outside their hospital room at Primary Children’s Medical Center in Salt Lake City. Thirteen years after doctors separated the twins from Utah, the now-17-year-old girls are nearing adulthood and talking about the countless surgeries they’ve had and their journey to finding their voices as advocates for inclusion and acceptance, the Deseret News reports. (AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac, File) 
FILE – In this Sept. 17, 2006 file photo, Jeff Warren, grandfather to formerly conjoined twins Kendra, left, and Maliyah Herrin, shows them a flower at Primary Children’s Medical Center before heading for home in Salt Lake City. Thirteen years after doctors separated the twins from Utah, the now-17-year-old girls are nearing adulthood and talking about the countless surgeries they’ve had and their journey to finding their voices as advocates for inclusion and acceptance, the Deseret News reports. (AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac, File) 
In this July 11, 2006 photo, Maliyah and Kendra Herrin “operate” on their hospital buddies at Primary Children’s Medical Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The formerly conjoined twins from Utah say they have found their voices as advocates for inclusion and acceptance after making international headlines when they survived a dangerous separation surgery thirteen years ago. (Laura Seitz/The Deseret News via AP) 
In this Sept. 17, 2006 photo, Erin Herrin hugs her daughter, Kendra, while her sister- in-law Amy Jones and father Jeff Warren help Maliyah get her sweater on as they prepare to leave Primary Children’s Medical Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The formerly conjoined twins from Utah say they have found their voices as advocates for inclusion and acceptance after making international headlines when they survived a dangerous separation surgery thirteen years ago. (Laura Seitz/The Deseret News via AP) 
In this Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019 photo, Kendra, left, and Maliyah Herrin are photographed in their North Salt Lake, Utah home. The formerly conjoined twins from Utah say they have found their voices as advocates for inclusion and acceptance after making international headlines when they survived a dangerous separation surgery thirteen years ago. (Laura Seitz/The Deseret News via AP)
SALT LAKE CITY | Formerly conjoined twins from Utah say they have found their voices as advocates for inclusion and acceptance after making international headlines when they survived a dangerous separation surgery.
Kendra and Maliyah Herrin were born conjoined at their abdomens and shared a pelvis, kidney and liver and each controlled one leg for four years before six surgeons and 25 support staff separated them in 2006 at Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, the Deseret News reported.
The surgery gained attention across the world and the two girls, now 17, have been the subject of a short documentary, a book by their mother and multiple news stories, including interviews with Oprah Winfrey.
Thirteen years later, the twins are seniors at a Utah high school and have experienced countless stares and photographs by curious people, they said. It has made them think about how to talk to people who are somewhat different, the sisters said.
“Don’t be afraid to talk to someone. Don’t stare at them. Ask them if it’s OK to ask what happened. But be respectful about it,” Kendra Herrin said.
Maliyah agreed: “Be nice.”
They encourage people to ask questions and say it helps that they can easily talk about their physical limitations, their medical history and their lives. However, taking photos is not acceptable, said the twins, who each have one leg and have had many surgeries since their separation.
“You’re normal,” Kendra Herrin said. “If I just took a picture of you, would you be OK with it? No, you would not.”
They said they are not often excluded by other teenagers, partly because they grew up in the same neighborhood and have a support system in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Maliyah Herrin said.
The twins support Stand Up for Kindness and the Orange Socks initiatives that spread anti-bullying messages and advocate for those with disabilities and their families.
As they approach the end of high school and gain more independence, the girls are both excited and nervous for new opportunities.
“Being able to be on our own, just like any teenagers. … No parents,” Kendra Herrin said. “But also different because I don’t feel like we are as independent as other teenagers. We have equipment; it’s heavy lifting.”
They are figuring out what they want to do in the future.
Kendra received her driving license this year and is a certified phlebotomist. She said she may look for a job in that field once she turns 18 in early 2020.
Maliyah said she is not sure what is in store for her next.
