Ecuadorian conjoined twins Jose Luis and Jose Armando Cevallos Herrera have died aged 27 while on a trip to Colombia to learn how to walk. The brothers passed away in hospital after travelling from Ecuador for rehabilitation treatment earlier this month.
The twins died in the early hours of October 15 in Zipaquira, north of the Colombian capital Bogota. Just 48 hours before, they had posted footage demonstrating their achievements as they worked on standing without assistance.
Health Deterioration and Cardiac Arrest
Jose Luis is understood to have started being sick on October 14 before his health quickly worsened. Their elder sibling, Damian Cevallos, revealed to La Voz de Milagro radio that Jose Luis had experienced urinary complications prior to becoming critically unwell.
Family acquaintance Fernando Carrillo, who assisted in organising their hospital transfer, reported that Jose Luis went into cardiac arrest but medics managed to revive him. Jose Armando is said to have experienced a heart attack as a result. The precise medical reasons behind their death remain unconfirmed by officials.
Social Media Announcement and Legacy
Their social media management team shared the news in an emotional announcement. The message read: "With profound pain and sadness, we want to inform our followers and the entire community that our beloved twins died in the early hours of today."
The announcement continued: "Their story, their smiles and their way of seeing life left an indelible mark on many hearts." The team also requested privacy for the mourning family and confirmed no additional information about their deaths would be made public.
Life as Conjoined Twins
Born on September 8, 1999, in Milagro, Ecuador, the siblings had lived their whole lives side by side. Recognised as the Conjoined Twins of Ecuador, they built up over 837,000 followers on TikTok and close to 61,000 on Instagram.
During their childhood, the siblings found it challenging to synchronise their legs and had to pull themselves along the ground. Jose Luis previously remembered: "We used to drag ourselves along the floor and it was difficult because we had no coordination with our legs."
They initially started getting about using a toy dumper truck before moving on to a wheeled board similar to a skateboard. Their biggest dream was to walk on their own. Jose Luis once said: "There were certain moments when we cried because we wanted to walk normally on both feet."
The pair journeyed to Colombia in April for specialist rehabilitation treatment and had been sharing their journey on social media. Despite their strong desire to walk, they had dismissed the option of surgery to separate them. Jose Luis previously said: "If we were born again, we would be conjoined twins." His brother Jose Armando called sharing his life with his twin "the most beautiful gift" God had given him. The duo also opened up about the challenges of forming friendships and handling people's responses when out in public.
