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28 March 2024

Amazingly normal: Sisters with 1 body, 2 heads live it up

Published
By Staff

As the London Olympics 2012 drench us in stories of great inspiration and heart-rending stories of triumph this one is right up there with a gold medal effort. And maybe more.

These sisters share a body and are the rarest form of conjoined twins,In fact, they were never expected to survive beyond a few days.

Abigail and Brittany Hensel have not only survived, they have gone on to live as normal lives as is possible and went from darling children, to plucky teenagers and, now, beautiful young women.

They have two spines (which join at the pelvis), two hearts, two oesophagi, two stomachs, three kidneys, two gall bladders, four lungs (two of which are joined),one liver, one ribcage, a shared circulatory system and partially shared nervous systems.

From the waist down, all organs, including the intestine, bladder and reproductive organs, are shared.

The 22-year-olds, who share one body fused at the torso, will soon be starring in their own reality TV show.

The girls first captivated the world in 1996 when they appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and the cover of Life Magazine.

The show takes you from their graduation from Bethel University in Minnesota, their post-grad job search and their travels through Europe with friends.

The broadcaster has now given them their own show called 'Abby and Brittany' which will premiere on August 28.

Their parents Patty, 46 and Mike, 47, never once considered having the twins separated, through fear that one or both might die or be left with such severe disabilities their quality of life would be compromised and could no longer enjoy all the activities they love.

For the visual story of their lives watch this video: