Days after Emily and Caitlin turned 18, their mother, Crystal Copeland spoke with LifeSiteNews about how the dark time of finding out the girls were conjoined, and considering the possibility of aborting them, turned into a blessing and the knowledge that she and her family "wouldn't change a thing."

Crystal and John Copeland, high school sweethearts who "met in home room" and got married right out of college, were a typical young couple. Then she got pregnant, and the diagnosis of conjoined twins came. To the couple, it seemed to be the end of the world.

"Neither my husband nor myself were raised in a church," Copeland told LifeSiteNews. "At the time that my husband and I found out that we were pregnant, we were not part of a church, we did not study the Bible. We both believed in God, but didn't really understand what we were believing."

"So we got the diagnosis, and it was an extremely dark time. I had always prayed, all my life, and I prayed heavily that weekend, when we were waiting to find out what the surgeons thought when they looked at the ultrasound video."

The waiting wasn't easy, as doctors examined the results of the ultrasound. "We did have friends and family who felt that we should abort the pregnancy. Not having faith front and center in my life at that time, I worried all the time—I don't know what I would have done if they had come back and told us they did share a heart, that they would not have been able to survive, I agonize over that. I don't know what I would have done."

According to Copeland, the girls were 17 weeks past gestation, and "they were kicking, they were moving, I could feel them, they were very real to me. We already had names picked out. It was very traumatic."

"We were looking for any lifeline, anything that we could latch on to for hope. And when the surgeons came back and said, 'we've reviewed the ultrasound, we think they're only sharing a liver, and we think they have good possibilities for separation,' we grabbed onto that.

We talked about it, and we decided that if there was a chance that at least one of them could survive, and have a normal life, then we would continue the pregnancy."

Copeland says that the couple was "given the option" for abortion, "because [doctors] did not know if the girls were going to share a heart, which is a fatal complication, that kind of thing."

Crystal says that choosing life for her babies, and raising Emily and Caitlin in difficult circumstances helped her and her husband realize their inner strength. "I have a terrible fear of blood,” she explained, giving one example. "I've been known to almost pass out getting a paper cut, it's that bad. But the girls obviously had a lot of surgeries and they had to have a lot of central lines run, directly into an artery on their chest." And while she would have preferred to leave the area while nurses handled these responsibilities, the medical professionals told her that children get agitated when their mothers are not around. (Photo via LifeSiteNews.com)

"They were little tiny babies," Crystal said. "So I sat in on more of those than I can even remember. And they were horrible, but I did it because my kids needed me to be there and do it."

Crystal says she got so good at home health care—her daughters had larges holes on their abdomens from the separation surgery—that a home health nurse said she would "hire me in a minute."

"I did all kinds of horrible stuff, and I got through it," said Crystal. But she added that she could only do it for her kids. "You rise to the occasion when you have to, then it's gone."

Raising Emily and Caitlin also helped the Copeland's marriage, she said. "It really made us stronger. I know a lot of marriages that are tested can't handle the pressure. It really brought us a lot closer together, and really solidified our marriage in a good way."

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

Hundreds Accept Jesus Christ in Poland at Franklin Graham Rally

Grammy-Winning Christian Artist Mandisa Has Died: Report

How You Can Send Letters of Encouragement to Jailed Pro-Life Heroes

'Americans Cannot Allow the Biden Administration to Sign Away Their Birthright': Congressmen Warn of WHO Pandemic Agreement

Illegal Immigrants Being Moved into Soldiers' Home Where Veterans Must Pay to Stay

House Democrats Vow to Codify 'Rights' to Trans Surgeries, Hormones, Puberty Blockers

18-Year-Old Female Trans Student Charged for Planning Two Maryland School Shootings, Manifesto Said She Wanted to Be 'Famous'

Israel Strikes Deep Inside Iran, Nuclear Facilities NOT Hit

An Important Message from Japan to the world about the WHO, Japan and the Next So-called 'Vaccine'

Rand Paul: Brave Marine Revealed that 15 US Agencies Knew COVID-19 Was Created in Lab in 2018; But They Kept It Secret from American Public (VIDEO)

Confirmed: Researchers Reveal COVID mRNA Vaccines Contain Component that Suppresses Immune Response and Stimulates Cancer Growth

Farmers, Truckers Warn California Emissions Mandates Will Cause 'Catastrophic' Supply Chain Crisis

Fed Court Overturns State Law Protecting Women's Sports from 'Transgender' Athletes

Furry Infestation: Middle School Students Walk Out in Protest after School Leaders Allow 'Furries' to Terrorize Them (VIDEO)

Biden's Education Secretary Vows to Shut Down the Largest Christian University in the US

US to Back Rafah Op in Exchange for Israel Dropping Major Iran Strike; Report

Schumer Succeeds in Killing Off Mayorkas Impeachment Trial before It Can Even Begin

California Town Tears Down Beloved Hillside Cross

Danielle Smith Again Defends Alberta's Coming Ban on Transgender Mutilation of Children

Detransitioners: We Were Pushed to Transition as Teens, Now We're 'Vindicated' By Study Showing Kids Grow Out of It