Abby and Brittany Hensel facts for kids

Abigail Loraine Hensel and Brittany Lee Hensel were born on March 7, 1990. They are American conjoined twins. This means they were born connected to each other. They are a special type of conjoined twins called dicephalic parapagus twins. This means they have two heads but share one body.

Even though they share a body, they are very similar to each other. Each twin has her own heart, stomach, spine, lungs, and spinal cord. Each twin controls one arm and one leg. When they were babies, they had to work together to learn how to crawl, walk, and clap. They can eat and write at the same time, but separately. For activities like running, swimming, playing piano, or driving a car, they need to coordinate their movements.

Abby and Brittany's lives have been shown in many popular TV shows and magazines. These include Life magazine and The Oprah Winfrey Show. They were also on The Learning Channel in 2006. They talked about their daily lives and what they wanted to do in the future. In 2012, they even had their own reality TV show called Abby & Brittany on TLC.

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

About Abby and Brittany

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

They went to Mayer Lutheran High School and later graduated from Bethel University in 2012.

How Their Bodies Work

Abby and Brittany share one body, but they have two separate heads and necks. Their chest is wider than most people's. They have two arms and two legs. When they were born, they had a small extra arm between their necks. This arm was removed, but the shoulder blade stayed.

Abby's head leans a little to the right. Brittany's head leans more to the left. This makes Brittany look shorter, even when they are sitting. Brittany's leg is also almost two inches shorter than Abby's. Brittany often walks on her tip-toes, which has made her calf muscle bigger. When they were 12, they had surgery to fix scoliosis (a curved spine). This surgery also helped make their chest bigger so they could breathe better.

Each twin controls one side of their shared body. They can only feel touch on their own side. But sometimes, a stomach ache might be felt by the twin on the opposite side.

They work together to use their arms and legs. This helps them do many things. They can walk, run, swim, play volleyball, and play the piano. They can also ride a bicycle and drive a car together. Abby is taller than Brittany. This made it a bit tricky to balance a Segway, as shown in their TV show.

Shared and Separate Organs

Abby and Brittany have some organs that are separate and some that are shared.

• They have two heads.
• They have two spines that join together at the bottom.
• They have two separate spinal cords.
• They have two arms.
• They have one wide ribcage.
• They have two hearts that share the same blood system. This means if one twin takes medicine, it affects both.
• They have four lungs.
• They have one diaphragm, which helps them breathe.
• They have two stomachs.
• They have two gallbladders.
• They have one liver.
• They have one large intestine.
• They have three kidneys.
• They have one bladder.
• They have one set of reproductive organs.
• They have one wide pelvis.
• They have two legs.

Deciding Not to Separate

When Abby and Brittany were born, doctors told their parents that separating them would be very risky. It was unlikely that both twins would survive the surgery. As the girls grew up, their parents decided not to separate them. They believed that the twins would have a better life together than if they lived separately.

Life as Adults

It is very rare for dicephalic parapagus twins to live into adulthood.

As teenagers, Abby and Brittany both passed their driving tests. They each had to get a driver's license. Abby controls the things on the right side of the car, and Brittany controls the things on the left. They both steer the car together.

They finished high school in 2008. Then they went to Bethel University to study education. They both earned their college degrees in 2012.

Abby and Brittany sometimes have their clothes changed by a seamstress. This gives their clothes two separate necklines. This helps show that they are two different people. They usually eat separate meals. But sometimes, they share one meal to make things easier. When they answer emails, they type and respond as one person. They often know what the other is thinking without talking much. They use the word "I" when they agree. If they have different ideas, they use their names.

They do not like it when strangers stare at them or take their pictures. In 2006, when they were 16, they said they hoped to date, get married, and have children. They wanted to share some information about themselves so they could live normal lives.

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

Media Appearances

Abby and Brittany have appeared in many TV shows and documentaries:

• They were on The Oprah Winfrey Show in April 1996.
• In the same month, they were on the cover of Life magazine. The article talked about their daily life.
• Life magazine had another story about them in September 1998.
• In 2002, they were in a TV documentary called Joined for Life. It was shown 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 in Time and Life magazines.
• 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, talked about their teenage years. It showed their school life, friends, and 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 covered their lives after college and when they started their teaching job.

Filmography

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

See also

In Spanish: Abigail y Brittany Hensel para niños