From the archives: This story was last updated in July 2019.
When these triplets were born, two of the girls were conjoined twins, a very rare condition—making the three sisters even more extraordinary!The three sisters Macy, MacKenzie, and Madeline, from California, are considered to be the rarest of triplets. Macy and MacKenzie were born conjoined, a condition that occurs in only 1 out of every 200,000 births.
There has only been one other case like this that we know of. Unfortunately, the girls’ biological parents were unable to look after them due to a problem with addiction.
But Jeff and Darla Garrison, who lived on a farm in Iowa, very much wanted to take the girls in and became their foster parents. Although they had three sons already, they were nevertheless more than happy to welcome the girls with open arms as members of the Garrison family.
After nine months, on Sept. 10, 2003, Macy and MacKenzie, the conjoined twins, underwent a 24-hour-long surgery in order to separate them. The Garrisons thought this would give them an opportunity to live a more normal life.
Though the operation was successful, each girl was left with only one leg. But with the help of custom prosthetic legs, they were still able to walk.
Two years after the surgery, the girls were officially adopted as part of the Garrison family. These girls are really brave, having been through such an ordeal at such a young age.
It really is heartening to see them happy with a loving family, who left no stone unturned for raising them together!
Darla and Jeff wanted to give the girls the same kind of country upbringing that they had while growing up—something they now treasure. What a wonderful new addition to the Garrison family!
“When you raise children who are handicapped in any way, when they’re surrounded by people who treat them like regular kids, that becomes how they see themselves,” Linda Kontis, co-founder of the foster care agency that placed the girls, told PEOPLE.
“It wasn’t just Darla and Jeff, they took in these girls as a family unit. And that’s why they are fabulous kids today.”
The girls, who were born in December 2002 and weighed just 2 pounds 2 ounces at birth (approx. 1 kg), have come a long way after their miraculous surgery. The loving family and the three new supportive brothers have helped them remarkably.
“We’d fallen in love with them. Our boys were so happy to have three sisters,” she added.
The triplets are 16 years old now, and like any other teen, they are full of life, zeal, and enthusiasm! These are three gorgeous girls and mighty souls, indeed!
