Our Conjoined Twins Refuse To Be Separated | BORN DIFFERENT

CONJOINED twins Callie and Carter won the hearts of millions around the world when they first appeared on Truly in 2018 and again in 2020. Back then, the girls were toddlers - and parents Chelsea and Nick were learning to raise twins who had defied all the odds. As Chelsea told Truly: "Callie and Carter are omphalo-ischiopagus conjoined twins, so they're connected by the hip and stomach. It happens in one in 200,000 births and not many twins survive - usually about 20% and only 5% of those twins last longer than 24 hours." But Callie and Carter not only survived, they thrived. So, when conversations with doctors inevitably turned to separation surgery, Chelsea and Nick eventually decided not to put their girls through such a risky procedure. As Nick explained, "There's no right answer, there's no guidebook, there's no one holding your hand - but I feel like we made the best decision we could." Chelsea even checked in with the twins to see what their feelings were about being separated - and their answer was unambiguous: "We don't want it, we would be alone. Why would I want to be away from my sister?" And Callie and Carter gave Truly an insight into the benefits of life joined to each other: "You're never bored," quipped Callie, adding, "If you want someone to fight, you've got someone to fight with right there!" Chelsea and Nick have had to teach the girls to cooperate and resolve disputes over which toys to play with, or what activity to do next, as amicably as possible. But the ultimate example of their cooperation is that the twins are now fully mobile. When Truly previously filmed with the family in 2020, the girls were taking tentative steps with Nick's help, but now they "run all over the place" completely independently. Sharing two legs between them and each operating their leg separately meant that learning to walk was not plain sailing, as Carter recounts: "We struggled very much at first. I remember when we took our first steps and we fell to the floor and I started crying. I knew everyone was happy that we took our first steps, but it made me sad that we fell." But, since then, the twins have not looked back and can regularly be seen clambering all over the jungle gym at school, where they are popular with their friends and excelling in every aspect. So with the world at their feet, what are Chelsea and Nick's hopes for the girls' futures? And with puberty looming on the horizon, what concerns does Chelsea have regarding Callie and Carter navigating dating in the future?

Watch Callie and Carter's original episodes:
https://youtu.be/6TIqyE5MDjo
https://youtu.be/3X7IyyH9OxE

Follow Callie and Carter:
https://www.facebook.com/beatingtheoddswithcallieandcarter
https://www.instagram.com/callieandcarterbeatodds