Abby and Brittany Hensel may be one of the most famous pairs of twins around. The reason for their fame, however, has to do mostly with how they were born – Abby and Brittany were born conjoined.
For Brittany and Abby, that looks like sharing a body but having two separate heads. The two have been featured on Oprah, in Time Magazine, and TONS more! They even had their own TLC show called Abby & Brittany.
Their story is truly remarkable and the things they do for each other are astounding.
Let’s take a look at some facts that you may or may not know about these women:
1. They are a statistical stroke of luck
When it comes to conjoined twins, only 1 set happens every 200k births. Of that number, 60% are stillborn. And of those that live, a mere 1% survive infancy.
Furthermore, the type of connection complicates things. Abby and Brittany don’t just share a leg or an arm, they share a body.
2. They have a mixed set of organs
The specific anatomy of every set of conjoined twins is different.
Abby and Brittany have two spines that merge, two hearts in a shared circulatory system, two stomachs, one liver, one intestinal system, and one set of reproductive organs.
That is just a basic overview, but it’s pretty complicated!
3. They haven’t had to “figure things out” yet
You may be wondering how any future plans for relationships and future children would work if share a reproductive system.
And the truth is, we don’t know. In fact, they’ve largely left the limelight, but they did mention wanting children with their future partners.
We will have to wait and see what they reveal!
4. They had three arms in the beginning
When the duo was born, they originally had three arms. The third arm, however, wasn’t useful to them at all and couldn’t be moved.
It was more of an issue than it was an asset, so they ultimately decided to have it removed.
5. Each has control of over about half of their body
Moving around can be pretty tough for the twins. Abby controls the right and Brittany the left, making lots of tasks tough.
They need to communicate with each other to do basic left/right tasks such as walking, running, and eating. Still, they are really active and even play sports!
It’s amazing to see how people adapt!
6. Each twin walks differently
When they do tasks that require both of them, each side of their body under their control has its own unique signature, just like other people!
Abby walks with the flat of her foot and her sister typically walks on her toes.
7. They have specialty clothing
With only 12 other conjoined twins in the world, there aren’t a lot of shops selling their clothing for their body type!
The duo navigates this with the help of a seamstress who designs all their clothes especially for them. They each have different styles, but they make it work!
So if you thought sharing clothing with siblings was a hassle, you don’t know the half of it!
8. They occasionally cheated on tests!
While they were in school, taking tests had some advantages! Their teacher would allow them to work on assignments together or separately, but when it came to tests, they always took them separately. Well, theoretically.
The duo implied they may have occasionally helped one another with especially hard questions.
9. They graduated from college
The twins graduated from college back in 2012. They each earned a separate degree from Bethel University.
They ended up enjoying different things, Abby loved math and Brittany loved writing. But getting degrees in two separate subjects was going to be too much coursework (after all, they would have to attend ALL classes together).
The pair compromised by majoring in education.
10. They can get sick individually
Just because one sister is sick doesn’t mean the other one is!
Abby and Brittany share a body, so it’s probably likely they’ll catch the other’s contagious illness. But it’s happened a few times where one gets sick and the other doesn’t.
Brittany gets colds often, for example, while Abby rarely catches them.
11. They play the piano together
For each controlling half of a body, they are incredibly coordinated!
The twins can type on a keyboard and do other things they love… like play the piano!
They both enjoy music and haven’t let the physical challenge of learning to coordinate their hands stop them.
That’s so cool!
12. They teach together
Their shared passion is teaching.
The last anyone heard, Abby and Brittany were both working as 5th-grade teachers – and it’s no surprise that they have a single classroom together.
13. One of the twins is taller
You might not know it right away, but Abby is taller than her sister Brittany.
Abby is around 5’2 while Brittany is 4’10. They sometimes wear different shoes and socks because of the size difference.
14. They had to take their driving test twice
When the twins were learning to drive, they had to pass the test twice!
After all, each person needs to have their own driver’s license.
So, the sisters took the test twice – but Abby controls things on the right of the driver’s seat; Brittany, those on the left. Together they control the steering wheel.
15. Doctors offered to separate them
When they were first born, doctors offered to separate the twins. They were willing to try even though they shared so many organs.
The likelihood of survival was low, however.
As a result, their parents made the decision to leave them together, but treat them as separate and equal people.
16. Their body temperatures can very
Similar to how one can be sick while the other isn’t, the twins can have different body temps!
It goes to show that their bodies are fully independent in a few areas, especially where their immune system is concerned.
17. They have siblings!
Many people never think about the twins having other siblings, but they do!
They have a younger brother named Dakota, and a younger sister named Morgan. But the siblings typically stay away from the press.
18. They don’t love taking photos
As you can imagine, the twins get stared at and followed a lot. Additionally, they get a lot of requests for photos while out and about. And it can feel a bit uncomfortable.
They have some awesome friends who look out for them though.
“I want to make sure that they’re safe and that they’re not completely exposed, definitely just standing in the way of pictures,” one friend told the BBC. “Just always keeping an eye on what’s going on and just how the girls are reacting to the crowds.”
19. When giving verbal or written consent on things, they have special notation
Since they share a body, signing things can be a bit weird. Their solution is through writing, typically.
When they both agree or consent, they use the grammatical first person: “I agree…”
When they don’t agree, they write their names individually, using the third person: “Abby agrees…” or “She agrees…”
20. They keep a low profile now
The two were reality television stars on TLC for a while but had their fill of fame.
Now, they are happy to stay under the radar and do what they love – teach! We may learn more as time passes… or we may not!
If you loved learning about the twins, you’re not alone!
The fact that they had their own TV show means that they know many people are curious about how they live their lives and what it’s like to share a body.
They’re largely out of the spotlight now – so we just wish them the best!
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Source: All That’s Interesting, Instagram – @abbyandbrittany
Cover images: Facebook – Abigail and Brittany Hensel, YouTube – Naked Stories