Abby and Brittany Hensel are conjoined twins and their life story keeps inspiring people around the world. How they manage to turn their situation to benefit them is truly remarkable and we reveal 30 interesting things you didn’t know about these twins.
Contents
- TLC Show
- Who are they?
- Surgery is not an option
- Against all odds
- Control
- Struggling early
- Walking differently
- Keep them as they are
- From documentary to show
- Everyday tasks
- Driving
- Complement each other
- Emails
- Individuals
- Education
- Moving day
- Creating a family
- Often photographed
- Oprah
- Sports
- Music is a goal
- Speaking of food
- Birthdays
- Getting sick
- It is all about compromise
- Growing old
- Teaching in school
- Leading private lives
- Passports
- Reacting differently
TLC Show
When TLC interviewed the twins, their life changed forever. Soon, the girls got their own show and became popular across the country.
Who are they?
They were born in Minnesota to mother Patty, a nurse and a father Mike Hensel, a carpenter and landscaper. They also have a younger sister and a brother. Later on they graduated from Bethel University in their home state!
Surgery is not an option
Even though they share one body, each of them have separate organs which means that separating them could be dangerous.
Against all odds
For twins to be conjoined, the odds are 1:189,000. Moreover, they are dicephalic parapagus twins. In other words, they have two heads and one body. Such twins account for 11 percent of conjoined twins!
Control
Each twin controls their side of the body. It must have been hard to sync.
Struggling early
From early stages of life, it was hard. It took them a lot to start crawling and then walking as well.
Walking differently
Abby walks flat footed whereas Brittany on her toes. They are not limping and instead they developed their individual styles.
Keep them as they are
The doctors offered to attempt to separate them after birth, but the parents said no!
From documentary to show
Having done the documentary for TLC, the TV offered them a chance of a show, due to major success.
Everyday tasks
The twins are capable of doing everything you and I can do. They ride a bike, swim, drive and just enjoy life.
Driving
Brittany and Abby took the driving test twice, but they passed. While they are behind the wheel, Abby controls everything on the right side and Brittany on the left.
Complement each other
Even though they are together, they have different interests. For example, Brittany prefers writing, whereas Abby is good at math. They managed to go through the schooling system and graduate from a nearby college.
Emails
Despite their separate interests, they write emails as one.
Individuals
At one occasion, they hired a seamstress to express their individuality and have custom made necklines. They do differ after all.
Education
They have always wanted to be highly educated and they actually attended the Bethel University instead of taking online courses. With that, they proved people wrong once again.
Moving day
After the college, the twins moved to their new home. They decorated their home as they prepared to become part-time teachers, at first.
Creating a family
Even though they have two heads and only one body, they are not giving up on finding the love of their lives.
Often photographed
Even though they were exposed on cameras and people keep asking them for photos, they are not always in the mood. They hate it when people take photos without a question. Can you blame them?
Oprah
When they were six, they were hosted by Oprah!
Sports
One of the interests they share is sports and that helped them enormously in developing their coordination skills.
Music is a goal
One of their goals is to master an instrument!
Speaking of food
Each girl has separate organs, as we have mentioned earlier. That means that they need two meals. Even though they share a body, their likes and dislikes differ!
Birthdays
And because of that, they have two birthday cakes. They are two individuals with different interests. It is only logical.
Getting sick
Since they have different systems, they are not sick at the same time. One of them could feel terrible while the other one is just fine.
It is all about compromise
To improve their lives, they need to compromise. It is not always easy to compromise everything from eating to sleeping.
Growing old
As they grow older, the heart failure and organ defects are becoming more and more possible. So far, they have been in an excellent shape.
Teaching in school
Currently, Abby and Brittany teach mathematics in primary school!
Leading private lives
Even though they were on TV for a long time, the twins lead low-key lives. They look back at everything with great admiration.
Passports
Considering that they are two people, they need different passports. And that makes sense, but it is not like they can board the plane separately. Even though they have different passports, they only need to buy one ticket.
Reacting differently
For instance, the twins react differently to caffeine. While Abby doesn’t feel anything Brittany’s heart starts pounding.
