These formerly conjoined twins and their sister will be celebrating their 18th birthday next month. Look at how they look now!

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All teenagers look forward to celebrating their 18th birthday. Although this is a special occasion for everyone, this milestone becomes even more significant when one is born under unique circumstances.

The sisters Mackenzie, Macey, and Madeline Garrison were born as triplets in December 2002, but two of them – Mackenzie and Macey – were conjoined twins.

Their biological parents were not prepared to care for them, so they decided to put the triplets up for adoption to give them a better chance of survival.

Fortunately, a couple came forward and took them in. Darla and Jeff Garrison had always taken in children with fragile medical conditions.

None of these placements were permanent, however. Although they already had three biological sons – Tyler, Matt, and Luke – they always felt that girls would complete their family!

When Mackenzie, Macey, and Madeline were born, the couple immediately volunteered to care for them.

They first took in Madeline when she was four days old and then took in Macey and Mackenzie when they were four weeks old.

The conjoined twins each weighed 1 kilogram at birth. They were connected at the pelvis with intertwined intestines. Each had one leg, but they shared a third non-functioning limb.

In September 2003, Macey and Mackenzie underwent a 24-hour multi-stage separation surgery at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

Dr. James Stein, a pediatric surgeon, led the operation. Six weeks after the successful surgery, the formerly conjoined twins could go home.

Once they settled in, Darla and Jeff began the adoption process, and two years later, the triplets were officially members of the Garrison family. Almost two decades later, the girls are about to turn 18!

Although it has been a turbulent year, the Garrison sisters couldn’t help but look forward to what the last weeks of 2020 would bring. The triplets are preparing for Christmas, New Year, and their 18th birthday.

“We will be home [for Christmas], but we started a tradition last year: the girls wanted to do a name draw,” Darla, 50, told PEOPLE about their holiday plans.

“We didn’t buy gifts for everyone, but we did a name draw within our family, and they asked us to do it again this year.”

After their separation surgery, Macey and Mackenzie relied on prosthetics and walking aids to get around. Despite their unique situation, the twins have led normal and happy lives.

Like most students, the girls love driving aimlessly with friends when they are not working at their after-school jobs. They also enjoy horseback riding, climbing trees, and spending time with their many pets at their home in Iowa.

The family hopes to host an escape room with the triplets when they turn 18 on December 16. However, due to the pandemic, this plan has been put on hold.

Mackenzie, Macey, and Madeline plan to graduate high school and attend college in 2021.

“Graduating and getting scholarships, since they all want to go to college, will be our priority in 2021,” Darla added.

“As parents, we have three more boys, so we couldn’t save much money.” “They work hard in school.

With the girls being unique and adopted and all the challenges they’ve had… we hope for some academic scholarships, so we’ll be looking into that,” she added.

Mackenzie is still unsure which program she would take, but she likes agriculture and plant anatomy. Macey, on the other hand, wants to become a kindergarten teacher.

Madeline wants to become a nurse and later a nurse practitioner. Her focus will be on geriatric patients with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Growing up in a loving home and seeing how bravely they have dealt with life’s hurdles, we are sure these girls have a bright future ahead of them!

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