Being able to walk, pick things up with our hands, and turn our heads when we want; these are things many of us take for granted. And yet, these everyday actions are mere dreams for some people in the world.
Abby and Brittany Hensel: a famous conjoined twin
Abby and Brittany Hensel were born as conjoined twins. They became world-famous when they appeared on Oprah Winfrey at the age of 6.
The Hensel twins have faced many challenges. They faced harsh prejudices and received memorable looks from people as they walked in the city. However, they never let anyone stand in the way of living their lives the way they wanted.
Today, Abby and Brittany are 30 years old. And they have a very specific profession.
It’s all too easy to complain about the little things in life. Maybe your coffee was a bit cold this morning, it took too long for the traffic light to turn green on the way to work, it was too hot in the mall, or there were too many people in line at the grocery store.
Abby and Brittany Hense: childhood photos
A conjoined twin is always an identical twin, as they come from a single egg. However, in such a case, the egg failed to fully split into separate twins during the first weeks. The result is that the twins remain conjoined.
The most common form of conjoined twins is a connection at the chest and abdomen. Although very rare, it does happen. In 1990, parents Patty and Mike Hensel found out what that was like.
On March 7, 1990, Patty gave birth. She thought it was her and Mike’s first child. Initially, there were no signs that anything was unusual about her pregnancy. The ultrasound appeared normal. But later, the doctor discovered that their heads were aligned during the ultrasound.
“They had a rather blunt way of telling me,” father Mike Hensel remembered. “They said, ‘They have one body and two heads.’”
Patty was still under anesthesia and only heard the word ‘Siamese.’ She didn’t understand.
“Are they cats?” she asked.
Share many organs, yet have separate desires
Abby and Brittany were transferred to another hospital to ensure they were healthy. Fortunately, they were relatively well.
The Hensel twins underwent surgery when they were four months old to remove the third arm between their heads. They lead as normal a life as possible.
But of course, because they have two heads, some things are very different.
For example, Brittany is more susceptible to colds and coughing fits. Because their circulatory systems are linked, one of them can take medicine for an ear infection and her twin will heal simultaneously.
As a result, they only need one injection when they are vaccinated. They also share many organs including the liver, reproductive system, and bladder.
