The Incredible Story Of Abby And Brittany Hensel

1. Conjoined Twins

Sister's are meant to be close. But for Brittany and Abby Hensel it's a different story entirely. They were born as conjoined twins, and so they live life together sharing the very same body. Despite this, they have managed to establish themselves and who they are as seperate people. Let's find out about their journey.

The Hansel sisters were born in Minnesota. Back in 1990, their mother gave birth to conjoined twins. Her fertilized egg had failed to separate. On the upper half of their body, they are quite separate. They have different lungs, hearts, spines, stomachs... But, the lower half of their body is shared, including their reproductive sytem. The twins were actually born with three arms at birth, however, this was removed immediately after birth.

2. Brittany Got Sick And Abby Remained Healthy

Although the twins share a lot, including a lot of organs. They have different immune systems. This means that either of the girls may be sick, while the other remains feeling fine. For example, Brittany has had pneumonia twice in her life and Abby has never had it. Understandably, at the time this caused its own problems.Because of course, Brittany was not well enough to leave her bed, meaning that Abby could not either. For her, she was confined to bed rest whilst feeling absolutely fine and so she felt bored and agitated. It's one of the very few times they wished they were seperated.

3. Moving in Tandem

Each twin has their own side of the body which they take charge of. For Abby, she can't feel anything on the right side. Brittany, can't feel anything on Abby's left side. And so, for their arms and legs they have to work together with immense coordination to function smoothly.And, this is something the two of them have perfected, to the extent which the two of them take part in lots of activities together including swimming. They can even play the piano together. These girls don't let anything hold them back.

4. Different People

Yes, the twins share a body. But, that does not mean that they are the same person. In fact their personalities are very different. And, each of them loves to express themselves in different ways. For example, Brittany prefers more of a cool and masculine style, whearas Abby is the complete opposite.She loves everything pink and feminine. They each have different haircuts and to make their differences work, they get to alternate days in which they take turns picking the outfit. 

5. Mr Rights

The two of them don't let being conjoined twins stop them from doing anything. And, marriage is something that both of them dream about one day. it is definitely not something they rule out because they share a body. The two of them hope that they will each find a guy for them and they are sure they can make it work.People have warned them that this may be difficult because they share a reproductive system. But, they plan on finding two guys who love them each for who they are, despite the added difficulty of being a conjoined twin.

6. Individual People

One thing that the twins' parents were adamant on is that they were two separate people. They ensured that they were each treated as individuals and for example, if one of the girls, did something wrong they would be individually told off.This was essential to them feeling like they are their own person and are confident being who they are. The parents have harnassed this individuality and it has been essential to who each of them is today and their success.

7. Beating the Odds

Only around 1 in 40,000 twin births are conjoined. And, Abby and Brittany's parents were told when they were born that they probably would not survive the night. A lot of conjoined twins do not survive the first day. Doctors also informed them that if they tried to separate them, it would be very difficult to do and they would most likely not survive.This was due to the extensive procedures that would have been neccessary. But, they beat the odds. And, doctors had told them that they would be limited physically and intellectually but the girls are way above where anybody thought possible of them.

8. Dicephalus Twins

Dicephalous Twins are the rarest form of conjoined twins that there are, only 11% of conjoined twins are Dicephalous. It means that the twins have two heads. But, in the majority of Dicephalus twin cases, the two heads are not fully formed. Or, one of the twins will not survive.And this is another reason Abby and Brittany are extremely rare because they defied the odds. In fact, there are actually only 3 reports of Dicephalus Twins in the world who have survived adulthood. There is one case in Italy and one in Turkey and, Abby and Brittany are the only twins in the USA.

9. Fame at an Early Age

At just the age of six the twins were thrust into the spotlight on the Oprah Winfrey show, where they along with their parents spoke. They discussed life with conjoined twins. Then, not too much time later they did a cover for Life magazine.And, their fame took off even further and in 2o12 they did multiple shows for the likes of the BBC, TLC, and the Discovery Channel. And eventually, the two of them were given their own show by TLC which followed their everyday lives. It was a hit and it became on of TLC's most successful shows that year.

10. Everyday Difficulties

Simple tasks, such as burshing teeth, combing hair, applying makeup...these are the kinds of things we take for granted as easy. They don't take much time or effort for lots of people. But, for Brittany and Abby, things such as this and getting changed and all these little everyday tasks are very hard.They have a lot of diffiulties that come with being a conjoined twin. And, the pair of them often struggle to sleep because they disturb each other unintentionally. Life is a lot harder and everything takes more time being a conjoined twin.

11. Compromising

Two different people living in the same body, of course it's not easy. Brittany is failry laid back and quiet and she prefers creativity and writing. On the toher hand, Abby prefers science because she excels in these kind of subjects. She's also much more outgoing and loud than her sister.Aswell as having to work together to let each of their personalities shine, there's also the practical side too. Because they like different things they have to compromise a lot to make it work and keep each other and themselves happy. Thankfull, there's a bunch of things both of them love to do, such as music and sports.

12. Looking to the Future

It's a sad fact that conjoined twins face extra health complications. Up until now they have defied every odd and medical professionals have been amazed by them. It's also a fact that female conjoined twins have a longer life expectancy than male conjoined twins. And, only 70% of conjoined twins are male.Thankfully, the twins remain happy and healthy. Doctors d have concerns about the future and whteh they may suffer heart conditions for example. But, defying the odds is something that they do well. And so, by the looks of things they have a bright future ahead.

13. Shared Thoughts

Although they are different people, with separate minds and personalities - they have an ability to share each other's thoughts and basically read each other's minds. They can respond to each other without having to verbally speak and they can finish each other's other sentences.It's one of the attributes of being a conjoined twin. Knowing each other's mind of course has it's many positives as well as its negatives too. But, it's just another factor that gives these sisters an unbreakable bond like no other.

14. Raising Awareness

Neither of the twins love being in the spotlight, or having media and press attention on them. When TLC offered them a show, they agreed because they wanted to raise awareness of what it is really like to be conjoined.This way, they could educate people. And, let people have a glimpse into the reality of it and what happens every day. Aside from this, in their real life they live quietly on their Minnesota farm. Away from the media, away from the fame.

15. A Private Life

In recent years, the twins have opted for a private life and have been absent from any more TV appearances or magazines or interviews. They prefer a quiet life. And, the twins ahve two other younger siblings, and so for the sake of their privacy and the whole family, they have shyed away from the public eye in recent years.In their town and community it is very small and peaceful. One thing they and their family is hate is when they are out and people stare or take photos without asking.

16. Driving Together

We have already established that the twins have conquered many things and have excelled physically. And one thing they did which nobody expected was pass their driving test. The two of them drive wherever they like and are independent. It took two attempts.Abby, on the right side is in control of everything such as the accelerator. Brittany, is in control of everything on the left side. The two work seamlessly together to make it work.

17. Getting a Degree

The twins attended Bethel University together where they graduated, with a degree in Education. At first, the two attempted to go to different subjects within their degree as they had different interests in different classes.But, the extra workload proved to be too much. And so, they settled on the same things. Their teachers were amazed by how they did and they continue to outdo any expectations on them. They moved out and live totally independent.

18. Letting Nothing Stop Them

As they quote in their own words 'the amazing thing is we are just like anybody else'. This is a line from the opening of their show. And, it's true they let nothing stop them and do exactly what everybody else does...and more.In 2012 during their show, they travelled Europe with some of their close friends. They each have their own passport - but needed just one plane ticket. They did all of the things normal people did - moved out, went to uni, got a job...

19. Different Food Preferences

The girls each have their own separate stomach, and so they have different tastes and preferences. And, they are often hungry at different times. But, they have to help each other when it comes to eating for example with a knife and fork and so they often compromise so that they can eat at the same time and make it easier.Plus, thankfully they both life hamburgers so it's never an issue when it comes to sharing this. For their birthday every year, their parents get them a different cake to suit their individual tastes.

20. A Joint Career

The girls have had a very impressive background and haven't let anything hold them back. They are now 27 and both elementary teachers and they love their job. It makes it easier for them both because one of them can give the lesson while the other can observe the class and answer any question.They teach fifth grade and are passinate about their jobs. For now, the twins are paid one salary because they technically do the same job. But, this is somehting they would like to change in the future. With two degrees and being two people they can do a lot more at once than one person can. Hence, why they would like more than a single salary.

21. Ronnie and Donnie Dayton

Ronnie and Donnie Dayton are the oldest conjoined twins in history. Around every 200,000 live twin births are conjoined. yet sadly, the majority of these are still born or do not survive for more than a day.These twins are joined from the middle of the chest, to just below the hips. They were born back in 1951 and they really have suprised everyone, including doctors and scientists by their successful life. These two twins live in Ohio.

22. Left by their Mother

When they were born, the twins suffered complications. For the first two years of their lives they spent a lot of it inside hospitals. Doctors were also trying to figure out a way to separate them. But, as they shared their male organs, they found no way to do this successfully for both twins and so they left them conjoined.When the two were born, their mother did not want them and left them solely to the father. So the father, named Wesley raised the two twins and later he remarried and the four of them were a family together.

23. A Suprise

The expectand mother and father were not expecting twins. And, so when Donnie came out, followed by Ronnie - there was massive shock. So much so, that she left the family. The twins have the majority of their bodies separate, including all of their limbs.It is mainly just their groins that are connected and which they share. Because of the way they were born, they have spent their whole lives infront of one another, alwasy looking at the other twin infront.

24. Carnival Entertainment

Mr. Galyon was bringing up the boys as a single dad. And, he found himself on hard times struggling for money. He did not agree with attracting attention to his boys. But, when he was in particular financial difficulty, he started travelling - with a carnival.The boys would tour as part of the carnival to provide entertainment to other people who had never before seen conjoined twins. They had already experienced a lot of people laughing and staring, and now the family were benefitting financially from it.

25. Sideshow Act

Now, things such as this are not acceptable. To showcase somebody for being different would not be something that would happen in todays world. But back then it was very much something that was done. And, it was popular - it was central to American carnivals.It must have been extremely tough for the two tiwns. At such a young age, they were laughed and stared at as though they were some kind of abnormal commodity their for other people's entertainment. And, as though they were not like other poeple.

26. Unaccepting World

When they were old enough, their father tried to enroll them in schoo. They gave it a go. But, the twins faced the prejudices of an unneccepting world. And, they were actually told they could not attend because they were distracting the other children. These were the things they faced being born decades ago. At the carnival they were treated well, and like they were special. They met other people with differences such as the smallest man in the world.

27. The Breadwinners

And so, school was not an option given to them. Therefore, they continued as a circus act, where they earned good money. The parents now had 9 children altogether which mean there was a big family to feed. They became the breadwinners who provided for all of the family.They relied on their income to feed and maintain the whole of the family. Without the circus they would have been in a bad position. But carnivals like these became less popular as time went on.

28. On Tour

By the 70s, this side of the circus, what was once wrongly named the 'freakshow' was seen as politically incorrect. So, for the twins who relied on this income not just for themselves but their whole family, they had to find another way. People were no longer attending because it was immoral.So, they started tot our Latin America where this way of thinking had not yet come into place in regards to the carnival sideshow. They joined and toured with the Circo Union.29. The BacklashBeing so different from other people had its major consequences, especially because they were in the public eye. As well as their support, they also had a lot of people who would verbally abuse them. They would even recieve threatening phone calls in the middle of the night. Just because they were different, people used it as an opportunity to hate them. Being told they could not attend school was just the start of their struggles. Narrow minded people all over would have their say and they experienced massive negativity and worse.

30. Safety Concerns

Things got worse and people would do things that made them genuinely concerned for their safety. They stopped the carnivals and circus touring in 1991. They bought themselves a house with money they had saved and lived in Ohio. But, kids would come up and watch them through the windows and spit on the glass and more. They called the authorities for help because they were worried for themselves. A school nearby who had a lot of kids involved witht his had a talk from the school teacher. He told them it would no longer be tolerated and they would be prosecutes.

31. Arguments and Fights

Nobody can get long 24/7. And, when you are physically with someone 24 hours a day of course the twins had their ups and downs. There would be times when they got on each others nerves and times when they would actually physically fight.There is no privacy, or break from one another and it's understandable. The pair got very good at learning to compromise to save the peace. But then the twins had a medical issue which made the fighting stop.

32. Blood Thinners

The twins had to start taking blood thinners because of a medical issue. And, this stopped the physical fights because they could not afford to injure one another whilst on blood thinners or things could end up very badly.One time, Donnie got a viurs which turned severe and it actually spread to Ronnie too. It was so bad that it left blood clots on the lungs. Ever since, the two of them have needed care because they were left physically more vulnerable.

33. Asserting Oneself

Being a teenager is already hard, finding yourself and establishing your own individuality. But, for Ronnie and Donnie who were conjoined twins trying to assert who they were as diffrent people very hard. And, sometimes it got so frustrating that it turned into bouts of anger.Once, one of the twins Donnie kicked the van so hard in anger because they were finding it so tough.  He ended up breaking his foot as a result which led to more frustration and lack of independence.

34. Battling

They actually became called the battling Gaylons by many because the two of them were renowned for getting into fights. They struggled to maintain the peace between them.And, one time one of the twins actually gave the other a balck eye. it became part of their repuation. Until, they went out of the public eye for a few years and then media coverage trailed off in regards to Ronnie and Donnie.

35. Practicalities

There are lots of everyday things which prove extremely difficult when being a conjoined twin. Things, which usually would be small and simple tasks. Even the practicalities of things such as do they get one or two votes?And, when it comes to a passport they share the same one. This is actually one of the twins passions. Travelling and especially travelling outside of America. Thankfully, the twins get less abuse now and they get the care they need to live their everyday lives.

36. Living Care

Ronnie and Donnie now live with their brother and his wife. Aswell as age, the two of them now need extra help and care when it comes to living. A charity group did some work on their brothers house for them. They built extra space which meant they would be able to live there.Living with their brother also means they can feel secure whilst still having some independence. This was proof that there are good people in the world who love to help other people for no gain of their own.

37. Best Friends

They are not the only ones that have shown the twins kindness, far from it. People actually sometimes offer to pay their restaurant bills and strangers are often doing random acts of kindness. People go out of the way to get to know them and show them kindness.And, despite all of the fights over the years to twins love each other. They are without a doubt best friends. As time progressed and so did science, they had multiple offers for separation procedures. But, the twins rejected them all.

38. Lifestyle Changes

Health complications are unfortunately linked with conjoined twins. And, as time went on, things got worse health wise. They had more health complications and their lifestyle had to change. They relied more on outside help.Life grew more difficult but the two of them have accepted it and dealt with it in good spirits and kindness. The two of them have made healthy changes as they have always wanted to become the oldest living conjoined twins. It is their goal.

39. History in the Making

They did it. They officially became the longest living conjoined twins ever. When they turned 63 in 2014 they had beaten the previous record. And so, to celebrate they headed to Disney world.There, they started at Golden Nugget cafe where the staff welcomed them like kings and treated them like royalty for the day to commemorate a special occasion.

40. They Did It

Once there dream had come true, they were so happy. Considering the difficulties they have faced, they live life with open arms and a great attitude.As of 2020, they have had a special bed made because before that they had to sleep on the floor because normal beds were not suitable for their needs. The two twins have inspiring stories and they are an inspiration to many.