Special twin boys Charlie and Daniel Harris are celebrating their second birthdays today.
To parents Andrea, 31, and Mike, 36, of Adstock Way, Grays, the day means more than just wrapped presents and birthday cake.
They faced a life without children when Andrea lost her womb through cancer at 19.
Andrea's selfless sister Lisa Meek stepped in to help out the desperate couple - and acted as an incubator to the couple's children.
Several failed attempts by sister Lisa to carry a child for the couple did not stop them trying again and again.
Charlie and Daniel were born healthy at Basildon Hospital on January 27 1998. The family hit the headlines when the twins became the first to be born to a sister surrogate.
They sold their story to a national newspaper and their plight will appear on a documentary next month to boost awareness of surrogacy.
Twin delight - Andrea Harris with the twin sons she would never have had without a little help from her sister, Lisa
Picture: DAVE HENDERSON
Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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