People have been increasingly interested in the Hensel Twins’ life mainly because photos of one of them marrying Joshua Bowling, a US army veteran and nurse, surfaced on the Internet. Abby and Brittany Hensel did not become famous overnight; their lives have been covered by major shows such as The Oprah Winfrey Show, Origin, and their own reality TV show, Abby & Brittany. People have many questions about how these sisters live their shared lives. In this article, you will learn how these conjoined twins function.
Medical Background of Conjoined Twins
Conjoined twins are twins that are born physically attached to each other in some portion of their bodies because they did not entirely separate prior to birth. There are various varieties of conjoined twins, and the Hensel sisters are dicephalus conjoined twins, the type that is linked at the chest or abdomen but has distinct heads and arms.
These types of twins are extremely rare, occurring only once in every 100,000 births. Unfortunately, not all conjoined twins survive delivery; approximately 60% do. Deciding whether to separate conjoined twins is a difficult decision that must consider a variety of factors, including how it will affect each twin’s health, the organs they share, and their future quality of life. The Hensel sisters’ parents decided not to separate them, and they have grown up and are doing well together.
Shared Anatomy and Daily Life
Organs
In an interview with Origin, Patty Hensel, the twins mother said “when the doctor came and talked to us, they said they each have a heart, they each have a set of lungs, that they each have a stomach. From the stomach comes the small intestine, they each have that, which joins into the large intestine and then they have just one bladder and the female organs.”
Movement and coordination
This is when things get insane with movement and synchronization. The Hensel twins share the same body but have distinct heads and necks, broader chests, two arms, and two legs. At birth, they had an additional arm between their necks, which was removed, leaving only the shoulder blade.
Abby’s head tilts slightly to the right, whereas Brittany’s tilts to the left, making her appear shorter. Brittany’s leg is somewhat shorter than Abby’s, and she frequently goes on tiptoes, which has resulted in one calf muscle being larger than the other. Brittany’s spine stopped growing prematurely, and Abby’s did as well. They had surgery at the age of 12 to fix their spine and chest problems.
Each twin controls one side of their body and only feels touch sensations on that side. They collaborate to use their limbs for tasks like walking, running, swimming, sports, music, typing, and driving.
Mental and emotional wellbeing
Being conjoined twins means they are always physically connected, which can make things like discussing daily activities or determining what to wear difficult because they must agree all the time. However, the Hensel twins have figured out a good way to communicate and comprehend each other. In the same interview with Origin, Abby stated that she and Brittany are very different, so they take turns assisting them with decision making.
Despite their connections, they each have their own set of interests and hobbies. For example, they became teachers, and Abby recently married. This shows that they have managed to live fulfilling lives despite their unusual circumstances.
Takeaway
Abby and Brittany Hensel were born with their chests joined, but they have led an extraordinary life. They’ve devised ways to communicate and work together, demonstrating incredible coordination. Despite the rarity of their predicament, there is optimism since doctors are improving their ability to separate conjoined twins and provide better care.
The Hensel twins’ experience demonstrates that even in the face of adversity, life can be enjoyable. They work as teachers, and one of them recently married, proving that they can attain their goals together. Their narrative encourages us to never give up, no matter how difficult things seem.
It’s so amazing how far these two have come. Still trying to wrap my head around the possibility if I were in their shoes. Hmm… I’m a bit concerned as to how only one is married & the other isn’t. How’s the husband going to do it? Well, none of my business. So many questions tbh. But they’ll be fine. I hope so.
A good read.
Reader from the US.
A really nice read, Weldone Christabel.
Oh my goodness. There are so many medical conditions a person needs to know about. Great work, Christabel!
Brittany having to tiptoe every single time must be really uncomfortable. It’s crazy they have to deal with that. Also, nice work Chris!
It’s incredible how they can both be sharing same but yet have different thoughts, emotions and feelings at the same time
My take home from this beautiful work is “Even in the face of adversity, life can be enjoyable”.
????????Good work Christabel.
Wow, this is really amazing. Still wondering how it would be for Brittany who has to tiptoe due to the height difference….. must be really hard for her. Glad to know they’re able to find ways to undertake tasks that affect both of them despite they have different hobbies.
An insightful read????
Nice article reinvigorating ????
So they share only one female organ , for the husband does it count as a threesome
Saw a tweet about them, didn’t know their story until now. Can’t imagine what it must be like to constantly have someone else in my space all the time, I’d go insane.
Great work !!!!
I dont understand the guy marrying them. Have women finished in the market
I’m more concerned about Abby. The way her neck is slanted wouldn’t she be experiencing neck pains?
My take home from this beautiful writing is “Even in the face of adversity, life can be enjoyable.”
This a good work Christabel. Well done
Amazing! how they collaborate to achieve their goals. Nice work Christabel.????????
Abby seems like the lucky twin. What happens when Brittany decides to get a man?
This was very informative and encouraging,even though I don’t know how they are managing the marriage but it’s nice to see them making efforts to live their lives.Nice one Christabel!!!
Wow! This is interesting. I was just wondering how a man will marry one out of two conjoined twins. He could’ve just married both of them… Lol! #MasterHealthWriter #HSE #Health
Wow! This is interesting. I was just wondering how a man will marry one out of two conjoined twins. He could’ve just married both of them… Lol! #MasterHealthWriter #HSE #Health
Nice peace. Really worth the read ????????????????
Learnt something new today.
Wow, really interesting and informative
Wow!!! Interesting
Nice article???? We’ll all the best to them and their marriage.
This was very informative and such a nice read
Interesting!!!
The fact that they’re compatible towards performing and achieving a task is a great one.
Their lives must be hard fr,it must hurt a lot to be on your tiptoes all the time. And the fact that they might get angry and each other but can’t stay away from each other is insane!
They are doing an amazing job surviving life together. I liked reading this,it’s very informative.
Nice piece Christabel, keep it up.
Wow ,wow ,wow what an interesting article
Interesting write up , with good creativity
Nice one dear
This was a good read!
This was a very nice read Christabel!
Wow! Nice one Christabel!
This was a nice and interesting read, there are a lot of things left to my imagination reading this, and to be honest the only people that can answer my questions are Abby and Brittany themselves.
As Always, great work.
Great article, reading from the UK. Keep it up ????
He should have married two of the since they’re conjoined, reason being that the other cannot marry since two of them have to be in a place at the same time and also the ‘one sex organ thing’????
An interesting read!!! Well done Christabel.
This is really incredible!!
Good work????????
Great read!