Abby and Brittany Hensel facts for kids

Abigail Loraine Hensel and Brittany Lee Hensel, born on March 7, 1990, are American conjoined twins. This means they are two people joined together in one body. They are a special type of conjoined twins called dicephalic parapagus twins. This means they have two heads but share one torso.

Even though they share a body, each twin has her own heart, stomach, spine, lungs, and spinal cord. Each sister controls one side of their shared body. Abby controls the right side, and Brittany controls the left. When they were babies, they learned to crawl, walk, and clap by working together. They can eat and write at the same time, but they do it separately. Activities like running, swimming, playing piano, or driving a car need them to coordinate their movements perfectly.

Abby and Brittany's lives have been shown in many popular media, like Life magazine and The Oprah Winfrey Show. They were interviewed on The Learning Channel in 2006. They talked about their daily lives and what they planned for the future. In 2012, they even had their own TV show called Abby & Brittany on TLC.

Since 2013, Abby and Brittany have been working as teachers in Minnesota.

Early Life and Education

Abby and Brittany were born in Carver County, Minnesota. Their mother, Patty, was a nurse, and their father, Mike, was a carpenter. They also have a younger brother and sister. The twins grew up in New Germany, Minnesota.

They went to Mayer Lutheran High School in Mayer, Minnesota. After high school, they attended Bethel University in St. Paul. They graduated from college in 2012.

How They Live and Work Together

Abby and Brittany have one body with two heads and necks. They have a wide chest, two arms, and two legs. When they were born, they had a small extra arm between their necks, which was later removed.

Abby's head leans slightly to the right, and Brittany's leans more to the left. This makes Brittany look a bit shorter, even when they are sitting. Brittany's leg is also shorter than Abby's. Because of this, Brittany often walks on her tip-toes, which has made her calf muscle bigger. When they were 12, they had surgery to help with their spine curvature (scoliosis). This surgery also made their chest cavity bigger to help them breathe better.

Each twin feels touch on her own side of the body. They work together to use their arms and legs. By coordinating, they can walk, run, swim, play volleyball, and even play the piano. They can also type on a computer and drive a car together. When they were teenagers, they both had to pass their driver's license tests separately. Abby controls the things on the right side of the car, and Brittany controls the left. They both steer the steering wheel.

Abby is about 5 feet 2 inches tall, and Brittany is about 4 feet 10 inches tall. Their different heights can sometimes make activities tricky, like balancing on a Segway.

Shared Body Systems

The twins have individual organs in the upper part of their body. However, most of their organs below the belly button are shared. They have two separate spinal cords. They share one large intestine, one bladder, and one set of reproductive organs. They also share a circulatory system, which means that food, air, and medicine taken by one twin affect both.

Why They Were Not Separated

When Abby and Brittany were born, their parents decided not to have surgery to separate them. Doctors said it was very unlikely that both twins would survive the operation. As the girls grew up and learned to do many things together, their parents felt even more sure about their decision. They believed that the twins would have a better life together than if they were separated.

Adulthood and Careers

It is very rare for dicephalic parapagus twins to live into adulthood. But Abby and Brittany have done just that! They finished high school in 2008 and then went to Bethel University. They studied education there. They both earned their Bachelor of Arts degrees in 2012.

Abby and Brittany often have their clothes changed by a seamstress. This helps them have two separate necklines, which shows their individuality. They usually eat separate meals, but sometimes they share one for convenience. When they answer emails, they type and respond as one person. They often know what the other is thinking without needing to talk much. They use the word "I" when they both agree on something. If their opinions are different, they use their names.

They do not like it when strangers stare at them or take their pictures. In interviews from 2006, when they were 16, they said they hoped to date, get married, and have children. They also hoped that by sharing some information about themselves, they could live fairly normal social lives.

Abby and Brittany became teachers in 2013. As of 2024, they are still teaching fifth grade at Sunnyside Elementary in New Brighton, Minnesota. In 2021, Abby married Josh Bowling.

Media Appearances

The twins have appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in April 1996. That same month, they were on the cover of Life magazine. The article described their daily life. Life magazine also featured them again in 1998. In 2002, they were in a TV documentary called Joined for Life on the Discovery Health Channel. A follow-up documentary, Joined at Birth, came out in 2003.

In 2003, an updated story about them at age 11 was published in Time and again in Life. ABC TV also made a documentary called "Joined for Life". A UK TV special in 2005 was part of the series Extraordinary People. In 2006, another documentary, Joined for Life: Abby & Brittany turn 16, showed their teenage years, school, and social life. It also showed them getting their driver's licenses.

The twins starred in their own TLC reality TV show called Abby & Brittany. It aired in the US from August to October 2012. The show was also shown by the BBC in the UK in 2013. It covered their lives from finishing college to starting their part-time teaching jobs.

TV Shows and Documentaries

Here are some of the TV shows and documentaries Abby and Brittany have been in: