Parents of conjoined twins have revealed that doctors were so convinced they would not survive more than 24 hours that they didn’t even buy clothes for the children – but they are now thriving seven years later.
Chelsea and Nick Torres, from Blackfoot, Idaho, found out they were expecting conjoined twins in 2017 — and their hearts immediately broke.
Medical professionals told the couple that their daughters would have only a five percent chance of living more than a day.
While they initially considered an abortion, Chelsea ultimately decided to give birth to the little girls, who they named Callie and Carter – but they still expected the worst.
The doctors were so sure their daughters wouldn’t survive the first day that the couple didn’t buy any clothes for them during the pregnancy, leaving them “largely unprepared” when Callie and Carter defied the odds and survived.
Parents of conjoined twins (seen in 2022) have revealed that doctors were so convinced they wouldn’t survive more than 24 hours that they didn’t even buy clothes for the youngsters
Chelsea and Nick Torres, from Blackfoot, Idaho, found out they were expecting conjoined twins in 2017 – and their hearts immediately broke
Medical professionals told the couple that their daughters would have only a five percent chance of living more than a day
Chelsea and Nick talked about Callie and Carter’s journey during an old interview with Truly, which was shared on YouTube this week.
“At the very beginning, we thought abortion would be the best option,” Nick admitted.
‘Nobody wants to carry their children at night for months, just for them to die. But we stuck with our feelings and here we are.”
“I thought they were going to die as soon as they got here,” Chelsea said, with Nick adding that the girls’ strength “completely overwhelmed them.”
“We were completely unprepared,” he said. “We had no clothes.”
The girls are connected from the sternum down, meaning they each have their own heart and stomach, but they share a liver, intestinal tract and bladder. Each of them can control one leg and two arms.
Apart from some initial ‘breathing problems’, the twins were born healthy, and have been thriving ever since.
The girls – who recently completed first grade – are now completely healthy and use wheelchairs to get around.
While they initially considered an abortion, Chelsea ultimately decided to give birth to the little girls, who they named Callie and Carter – but they still expected the worst.
The doctors were so sure they wouldn’t make it past the first day that the couple didn’t buy any clothes for them, leaving them unprepared when the girls defied the odds and survived.
Chelsea and Nick talked about Callie and Carter’s journey during an old interview with Truly, which was shared on YouTube this week
“At the very beginning, we thought abortion would be the best option,” Nick admitted. “No one wants to carry their children at night for months just to have them die.” The girls will be seen in May
They are currently learning to walk by coordinating their movements through physiotherapy.
But unfortunately, their unique situation means they are often exposed to unwanted looks or comments when they are out in public.
“There have been old ladies who said, ‘God wouldn’t have wanted those kids alive,'” Nick said. “Some people just stare.”
Chelsea also explained, “Kids come up and just look at them. Some will say, “Are they stuck?” And I’ll say, ‘They got stuck in my stomach and now they’re here.'”
Chelsea at the time said they had no plans to separate the sisters because the operation carried a host of risks.
“The only way we would do this is if there were health issues or if they wanted to be separated,” she said. “We want them to understand the risks.
“I thought they were going to die as soon as they got here,” Chelsea said, with Nick adding that the girls’ strength “completely overwhelmed them.”
The sisters are connected from the sternum down, meaning they each have their own heart and stomach, but they share a liver, intestinal tract and bladder.
Apart from some initial ‘breathing problems’, the twins were born healthy, and have been thriving ever since
She said the girls were “happy in their own skin” and that they “love them just the way they are.”
“They’re not afraid to do anything,” Nick added.
In an interview with KTVB Last year, Chelsea emphasized that her daughters are just like any other little girls – and that each of them has their own personality, as well as their likes and dislikes.
“I just want people to know that they are just two normal kids,” she said. ‘They are in an unusual circumstance, but just treat them normally.
‘They like to be treated like other children because they are. They’re in school, they go to physical therapy, they do normal activities, they ride their bikes.”
Chelsea explained to the Today showing that Callie is “really girly” while Carter is the opposite. And like all siblings, they sometimes get sick of each other.
They are now completely healthy and use a wheelchair to get around. They are currently learning to walk by coordinating their movements through physiotherapy
But unfortunately, their unique situation means they are often exposed to unwanted looks or comments when they are out in public. They are seen in December
“There have been old ladies who said, ‘God wouldn’t have wanted those kids alive,'” Nick said. ‘Some people just stare’
Still, Chelsea said the girls were “happy in their own skin” and that they “love them just the way they are.”
“We try to give them their own time, even though they are a little bit stuck together,” she said, adding that they would put on headphones and let them watch TV on their tablets if they say they need time for themselves need.
“Even though Callie and Carter are two individuals together, you have to remember that they are individual children.”
Chelsea also spoke further about the backlash her daughters received on the Today show, admitting that she would initially hide them under a blanket while out in public after noticing people staring at them.
“When they were babies it was hard for me. People were staring and taking pictures,” she told the outlet.
‘I ended up destroying someone’s phone. It was just easier to hide them.”