Despite being conjoined twins who share a body below the sternum, six-year-old Callie and Carter Torres from Blackfoot, Idaho have surpassed expectations and started kindergarten. Their mother, Chelsea Torres, was told by doctors that they only had a 5% chance of survival when they were born in 2017. However, the twins have been thriving and while they have separate hearts and stomachs, they share a liver, bladder, and intestinal tract. Each twin is able to control one leg and two arms.
Despite being born with a shared body below the sternum and facing a five percent chance of survival, six-year-old conjoined twins Callie and Carter from Blackfoot, Idaho are thriving and have recently started kindergarten. While they share a liver, intestinal tract, and bladder, each twin has her own heart and stomach and can control one leg and two arms.
Despite doctors giving them only a five percent chance of survival, Callie and Carter, twin daughters of Chelsea Torres and her partner Nick, were born in 2017 in Blackfoot, Idaho.
Chelsea Torres, a 30-year-old from Blackfoot, Idaho, gave birth to conjoined twins, Callie and Carter, with her partner Nick in 2017. The doctors had given the twins a low survival rate of only 5%. However, against all odds, the girls have surpassed their initial prognosis and are thriving six years on.
According to their mother, Callie and Carter have two separate stomachs, but they share a liver, bladder, and intestinal tract. She describes their anatomy as two waves that crash together with their top part being themselves. Each of them controls one leg and two arms. Despite their unique physical condition, they have their own distinct personalities and preferences just like any other kids.
Chelsea emphasizes that her daughters should be treated as normal kids and not as a spectacle. She explains that Callie is more girly while Carter is the opposite, and they sometimes need alone time from each other. Despite being conjoined, they are still two individual children who enjoy typical activities such as going to school, physical therapy, and riding bikes.
Recently, Callie and Carter achieved a significant milestone by starting kindergarten.
Chelsea, the mother of the conjoined twins, shared that despite their unique circumstances, her daughters Callie and Carter are just like any other young girls with their own distinct personalities, preferences, and dislikes.
Despite their unique condition, the girls are now in good health and are learning to walk with the help of physical therapy. They use a wheelchair for mobility, but Chelsea says that they are making progress every day.
One of the challenges Chelsea faces is finding clothes that fit properly. She often has to create custom outfits by sewing together two separate items of clothing. Additionally, they require specialized equipment such as a custom car seat, which they recently outgrew.
Despite these challenges, Chelsea remains optimistic and says that the girls have each other to rely on. She works hard to raise awareness about conjoined twins and has gained a large following on social media, where she shares their daily activities and milestones.
Although it wasn’t easy, Chelsea has become more comfortable sharing her daughters’ story and hopes to inspire others who may be facing similar challenges.
One of the biggest challenges for Chelsea is finding appropriate clothing for her daughters, given their unique situation. She often has to create custom outfits by cutting and sewing two separate pieces of clothing together to fit their conjoined bodies. This can be a frustrating and time-consuming process, but Chelsea is determined to ensure her daughters feel comfortable and confident in their clothes.
Through her advocacy efforts, Chelsea has built a significant following of over 205,000 on TikTok. Her account features videos of the girls participating in typical childhood activities like swimming, bike riding, and playing on the playground. These videos help to showcase that despite their unique circumstances, Callie and Carter are just like any other children.
In 2016, when Chelsea learned that she was expecting conjoined twins, she initially felt devastated, as she later revealed in an interview with KTVB. As her pregnancy progressed, she began to notice people staring at her daughters, and it made her uncomfortable. To avoid unwanted attention, she would cover them with a blanket in public. She even smashed someone’s phone when they tried to take pictures of her daughters without permission. However, she never considered terminating her pregnancy.
According to Chelsea, she knew from the very beginning that she wanted to keep the babies, saying, “I definitely wanted to keep the babies.” She gave birth to the conjoined twins via C-section at 36 weeks in January 2017. Initially, the plan was to have them undergo surgery to separate them, but doctors deemed it too risky. When they were babies, Chelsea found it hard to deal with people staring and taking pictures of them in public, which led her to conceal them under a blanket. However, she became more comfortable with sharing their story over time.
Chelsea gave birth to the conjoined twins via C-section at 36 weeks in January 2017. Although the initial plan was to have the girls undergo separation surgery, they were eventually informed by medical professionals that it would be too dangerous.
After being born via C-section at 36 weeks in January 2017, the conjoined twins spent five weeks in the NICU, closely monitored by medical staff. Once they were deemed healthy enough, they were allowed to go home.
Chelsea stated that neither of the girls have shown any desire to undergo separation surgery, and she also mentioned that such a procedure would carry a high degree of risk.
According to Chelsea, the girls have never shown any desire to be separated, as they have no other reference for their way of life. “When people ask if they want to be separated, they’re like, ‘Huh? Why?'” she explained. After spending five weeks in the NICU under close observation, the doctors gave them the green light to go home. “The doctors said, ‘Nothing is wrong with them, they are perfect, they are healthy, take them home and treat them like normal kids.’ So, that’s what we did,” Chelsea recalled. Despite medical recommendations, the twins have shown no interest in separation, and Chelsea has stated that the procedure would carry significant risks.
Despite the initial plan to separate the twins, Chelsea mentioned that currently, she and her family are not actively pursuing the surgery. She explained that the twins have never expressed a desire to be separated and are happy with their current way of life.
However, she added that she is open to the possibility of considering it in the future if the twins express a wish for it. Chelsea emphasized that the decision ultimately rests with the twins, and if they decide to go through with the surgery, she will support them.
She also acknowledged that the surgery would be extremely risky, and she would make sure the twins understand the potential risks and consequences before making a decision. For now, she believes the twins are not broken, and they are living a happy and healthy life together.