Kriti Mehrotra
While twins account for 2-4% of live births across the globe, there are a lot of additional complications and risks involved in them for a myriad of reasons. Among them is the possibility of conjoined twins, especially because while they occur roughly once every 200,000 births, over half of them sadly result in either stillborns or early infant deaths. However, José Armando Cevallos Herrera and José Luis Cevallos Herrera – the subjects of TLC’s ‘Most Extreme Humans: On Your Side’ – have broken all bounds as they are well into adulthood.
José Armando and José Luis Cevallos Herrera’s Family Was Their Rock
When José Armando Cevallos Herrera and José Luis Cevallos Herrera were born in September 1999 in Milagro, Ecuador, their parents admittedly didn’t even know they were expecting twins. According to their mother, Jacqueline Cevallos Herrera, she felt quite strange throughout the pregnancy and could feel a difference from her prior one with her firstborn around a decade prior. Yet she was never told “there were two of them,” she said in the documentary. “The surprise was during the C-section. When it was done, I heard crying outside.”
That’s when Jacqueline was told not only did she have twins, but they are also conjoined – in fact, the duo are ischiopagus twins, an extremely rare type as they are connected at the pelvis. José Armando and José Luis’ elder brother, Damian Cevallos Herrera, still remembers how he found out about the same from their father in a way that was both joyous and sad. Marcos Cevallos Herrera reportedly came up to the 10-year-old, revealed his siblings were fused together, and added, “This is how God sent them to us, so this is how we have to accept them.”
As per their accounts, the doctors initially wanted to separate Armando and Luis to ensure their quality of life, only to quickly realize it was impossible and then ascertain they had a year to live. The family thus did everything in their power to make them feel comfortable and loved, just for the years to keep passing by, as well as for the doctors to be proven wrong repeatedly. So, the twins proudly credit their resilience to the unwavering support they received from their loved ones, as it gave them the confidence to move around, talk, and embrace their reality.
José Armando and José Luis Cevallos Herrera Have Experienced a Lot of Hardships Over the Years
Since Armando and Luis are connected at the pelvis in such a manner that they have two functioning legs – a third is joined with 10 toes and never really developed – they can not walk. Therefore, they learned to move around as children by dragging themselves before soon realizing what they needed was a piece of equipment to help them manage their fused bodies. Their journey to get a skateboard-type device that was cushioned and big enough to support them both was not easy; they did odd jobs as teenagers to afford it, but they maintain it was worth it.
Unfortunately, during this period, Armando and Luis also had to overcome adversity in the form of bullying because their exposure brought on a lot of negative comments/energy. The twins attended a public school since education was a big deal for them and their family, but leaving home every day, meeting people, and being in public wasn’t comfortable for them. According to their own account on the show, apart from having to endure people whispering about them, they even faced rejection and were told many “ugly things” over the years.
However, Armando and Luis never let pessimism take over; instead, they turned it into motivation and ended up enrolling at the State University of Milagro in 2021 to pursue law. Two years prior to them fulfilling this lifelong dream, though, they were in a life-or-death situation as a result of a night out wherein Armando went against advice by drinking alcohol. The twins had to be admitted into the hospital within a day for Armando’s severe infection, which turned into pneumonia and then a stroke. Thankfully, they managed to pull through.
José Armando and José Luis Cevallos Herrera Hope to Establish Themselves as Motivational Speakers
It was during the 2019 health scare that Armando and Luis learned they had completely separate stomachs, making them a lot more curious about what else they did or didn’t share. Yet, the experience was quite traumatizing, so it wasn’t until they were both truly ready to learn more and wholly comfortable with their choice of hospital that they went to a doctor’s again. They traveled to Colombia in 2025 for a full check-up, which is when they learned they have their own hearts, livers, and stomachs, but they share a pair of kidneys and a gallbladder.
Armando and Luis also became better informed about how their rare condition as conjoined ischiopagus twins affects their growth, bone development, and overall quality of life. Therefore, today, at almost 27, their focus is on their health so as to ensure they can lead a long, happy life in the company of their loved ones in their hometown of Milagro, Ecuador. That’s not to say they don’t have dreams of traveling across the globe as independent adults; they do. In fact, the brothers now wish to pursue careers as public motivational speakers, focusing on helping young kids struggling with their mental health or their physical disabilities.
“We never want people to look at us with pity,” Armando said on the show. “We have never liked that. They should see us as resilient, positive people who are capable of anything. The kindness, the essence of being yourself, is what makes the difference.” That’s precisely the message they hope to impart to youngsters across the globe, all the while living by the motto, “Where there is a will, there is a way, and a disability is no obstacle to being happy.” Armando and Luis prove so on their social media accounts, sharing insights into their lives, humorous yet powerful sketches, and their passion for music across all platforms. From what we can tell, they have been content creators/influencers since at least the late 2010s.
Read More: Summer Robert: Where is the Most Extreme Humans Star Now?
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