They were born in Vancouver, British Columbia,[citation needed] and are the only unseparated conjoined twins of that type currently alive in Canada.
A surgery was planned to give Krista's heart a "jump start" so Tatiana's would not have to work so hard.
[5] The twins' birth, potential separation, depth of community support and their family's financial situation have been subject to significant media coverage in Canada.
[6] The family reduced the twins' public profile due to a contract giving exclusive access to a documentary crew for National Geographic and the Discovery Channel UK.
At this time, Tatiana suffered from a sleep apnea condition that occasionally caused her to stop breathing for up to 20 seconds.
Not long after the surgery, her heart shrank to a more normal size and its rate dropped such that it no longer carried all of the burden of circulating blood for both brains.
[10] The documentary reports that the twins are progressing well, and have achieved all the normal childhood milestones, such as walking, talking, and counting.