18 Things Most People Don't Know About Conjoined Twins Abby And Brittany
They're A Statistical Anomaly For Surviving Into Adulthood
Photo: Internet Archive Book Images / flickr / No known copyright restrictionsConjoined twins are very rare. It is estimated that only one in every 200,000 births results in conjoined twins. Up to 60% of births result in a stillborn child, and less than 1% of conjoined twins survive infancy. As such, there may be fewer than 12 sets of conjoined twins alive today, and Abby and Brittany are one of them.
Even if conjoined twins live through their childhood years, a myriad of health problems can lead to lower odds of survival. Given all of this, Abby and Brittany's survival into adulthood puts them in an infinitesimal minority.
Their Internal Organs Are A Unique Mix Of Shared And Individual
Photo: flickr / CC0Interestingly enough, modern medicine is very aware of how Abby and Brittany's insides work, and we know what way they are joined.
Between them, the twins have: two spines merging at the pelvis, one broad ribcage, two hearts in a shared circulatory system, four lungs (two are fused), two stomachs, two gallbladders, one liver, one small and large intestine, three kidneys, one bladder, and one set of reproductive organs.
In other words, there are definitely two people inside that body, but they share some rather vital organs - which means they cannot be separated.
Now, you might be wondering, since they share a reproductive system, how do they engage in intercourse? Would they be able to have children? Though it hasn't happened yet (that they've told us), the girls have expressed a desire to start a family and get married, so this issue may be something they have to figure out someday.
They Originally Had Three Arms
Photo: Naked Stories / YouTubeThough it is very apparent now that Abby and Brittany have two arms, they had three when they were still infants. This third arm was only rudimentary and ultimately useless, however, so it was more of a hindrance than a help in that it made moving the shoulder blades difficult. For this reason, Abby and Brittany's parents had the extra arm removed when they were very little.
In general, Abby and Brittany's parents do not allow for non-vital medical examinations, procedures, or studies, but this, and one major surgery to correct growth in their ribcage, were both done as the girls grew. Nowadays, major surgeries seem to be a thing of the past for the pair.
They Both Only Control One Half Of Their Body
Photo: TLCWhen Abby and Brittany walk, move, or do daily activities, it's actually more difficult than you might imagine. You see, Brittany controls the left side of the body, while Abby controls the right. That means each girl has to control one leg and one arm on their own. The twins had to learn to crawl, walk, run, write, and get dressed in tandem, so even standing up takes total coordination.
That's not to say the girls are uncoordinated. They like to play sports, such as volleyball and bowling, and they can both write, swim, and dance together like any other person might. They even have a knack for music.
The Twins Have Different Walks
Photo: Naked Stories / YouTubeBecause they both control different halves of the body, the girls sometimes have very different styles of doing things. That includes walking, even though they have to do it together, in coordination, every day.
Abby tends to walk with the flats of her feet as she moves. Brittany, on the other hand, likes walking in her tip-toes, which means her side of the walk is a little bouncier. Not all of this is due to stride preference, though, as Brittany's leg is shorter than Abby's, making tiptoes somewhat of a necessity. You can see a slight difference in their gate if you watch their TV specials.
A Seamstress Helps Their Clothes Match Their Personalities
Photo: Naked Stories / YouTubeJust because the girls share a body, doesn't mean they share all their tastes or fashion preferences. One of the girls may like to pig out on junk food, while the other prefers to sleep, and the girls definitely prefer different styles of clothing.
Abby's the first to explain the twins don't always see eye to eye on matters of fashion:
We definitely have different styles. Brittany's a lot more like neutrals and pearls and stuff like that and I would rather have it be more fun and bright and colorful.
They Didn't Cheat On Tests... Did They?
Photo: Naked Stories / YouTubeWhen they were young, the girls were interviewed and went out of their way to answer questions that they heard frequently. A lot of questions had to do with their education, which was largely facilitated by one specific teacher. Connie Stahlke, their teacher, would give them the option to work individually or collaborate on assignments and projects, depending on what was easiest for them. They each took separate tests, however, and both girls said emphatically that they never cheated when they took those exams.
In a video interview going over similar questions, though, they answered slyly that they sometimes cheated on their tests. So who knows!
They Graduated From Bethel University In 2012
Photo: Jonathunder / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0After high school, the girls initially thought they would go for different degrees in separate lines of work. Abby was good at math, and Brittany was good at writing, so doing different things sort of made sense. When the girls started attending Bethel University, however, they realized they had a shared passion: education.
They graduated with two separate degrees in education in 2012. Their aim at the time was to become a teacher for grade school students, with an emphasis in mathematics.
One Can Get Sick Even If The Other Is Healthy
Photo: TLCBecause they share so much of their body and remain close to each other all the time, you might think the girls get sick at the same time. Strangely enough, that's not always the case. Certain medicine can bother one of them but not the other. If one girl gets a stomach bug, the other may not feel nauseated. In fact, Brittany commonly gets colds and has had pneumonia twice, while Abby has never had such an issue.
Interestingly enough, being sick is the only time the girls have ever complained about being joined. Once, when they were very young, Brittany got very sick. Abby was bored sitting around in bed all day, healthy as ever, and said she wanted to go her own way. Since that one incident, the girls have never expressed wanting to have separate bodies.
They Play The Piano
Photo: Naked Stories / YouTubeThe twins are extremely coordinated - doing such intricate things as typing on a keyboard - and that applies to artistic pursuits, as well. Both girls have shown musical inclinations, and while they can play separately, they're actually quite good at playing the piano together.
Abby takes the right hand parts of the music, while Brittany takes the left, then they learn how it fits together. Considering the timing, technical skills, and musical ear it takes, doctors find it amazing that the two can come together to create such beautiful music.
They Are Both Currently Teachers
Photo: Naked Stories / YouTubeAfter college, the twins sought out a teaching job. They currently work as fifth grade teachers, presiding over a single classroom. The sisters say having two people doing the job is actually beneficial, because one can concentrate on what they are saying and writing, while the other keeps an eye on the class. Good luck cheating on any tests when they're around!
Though they are two separate people, the girls accept receiving a single paycheck between the two of them, as they're doing the job of one teacher. They have high hopes for the future, however, as Abby explains:
As maybe experience comes in we’d like to negotiate a little bit, considering we have two degrees and because we are able to give two different perspectives or teach in two different ways.
Abby Is Slightly Taller Than Her Sister
Photo: Naked Stories / YouTubeAlthough they're twins, Abby and Brittany are definitely different people, even in a physical sense. Abby, the right twin, is slightly taller, standing at 5' 2", while Brittany is only 4' 10". This height discrepancy has made finding clothing, pants, and shoes difficult in the past. It's for this reason, along with differences in fashion sense, the girls sometimes wear different leggings and socks, and even different shoes.
They Value Privacy, Especially Regarding Romance
Photo: TLCThough they were the subjects of the TLC series Abby & Brittany, the sisters do make a distinction between their public and private lives. While they're open to discussing the challenge, tiumphs, and practical realities of living together, neither speaks publicly about the topics of romance and intimacy.
Speculation abounds, and Brittany was once rumored to be engaged, but they succinctly dismissed the whole thing as a "dumb joke."
They Had To Take Their Driving Test Twice
Photo: Naked Stories / YouTubeBecause they are two separate people, Brittany and Abby tend to get two of everything. They have two passports (though they only buy one seat on a plane), own two IDs, and even get two tickets when they go to see a movie. That getting two of everything also extends to a driver's license.
Though the sisters learned to drive together, with one controlling one side of the wheel and the other controlling the pedals and the other side of the wheel, there's more to driving than just the physical test. On their 16th birthday, each girl took their written test separately (and passed), and they now have two unique driver's licenses.
Doctors Did Offer To Separate Them After Birth
Photo: TLCPeople may wonder why it is the twins were not separated at birth. This comes down to a decision their parents made. When they were born, doctors said a surgery could be attempted to separate the girls, even though they had so many combined organs. The unfortunate part of this is both girls weren't likely to survive, and one would probably die during the procedure. Upon hearing this, the twins' parents flatly refused and allowed the twins to grow up conjoined but both alive.
Their parents have also always made efforts to treat them as different people. Their mother, for example, was always careful to scold only whoever got in trouble, even though both girls shared a body. It may have been a strange way to grow up, but the twins like being together, and their parents appreciate both of their miraculous daughters.
They Can Have Different Body Temperatures
Photo: TLCSince they're two different people, they're obviously different in ways any pair of siblings might be, so it's not surprising that Abby is more introverted or that Brittany is afraid of heights. It may be surprising, however, that the twins respond to caffeine differently - drinking several cups causes Brittany's heart rate to speed up, while her sister experiences no such acceleration.
They can also have different body temperatures. According to Abby, "I can be a totally different temperature than Brittany would be, and a lot of times our hands are different temperatures, so I get super-hot way faster."
They Have A Brother And Sister
Photo: Naked Stories / YouTubeWith all the fascination about Abby and Brittany, it can be easy to forget the Hensels have a bigger family than just the twins! Besides their mom and dad, Abby and Brittany have a brother and sister, both of whom are younger.
Their younger brother, Dakota, and their younger sister, Morgan, have done their best to stay away from the spotlight. You might wonder if these siblings also experienced birth defects, but believe it or not, neither one did. Abby and Brittany still maintain a close connection with their family.
They're Not Especially Fond Of Strangers Taking Photos
Photo: Abby And Brittany HenselVery few people appreciate being gawked at by strangers. Abby and Brittany are not exceptions, and in public they sometimes have to contend with uninvited attention, which includes unsolicited photos from people whose curiosity overrides their sense of decency. Erin Junkans, a friend of both sisters, stays on the alert to deal with that attention. "I want to make sure that they're safe and that they're not completely exposed, definitely just standing in the way of pictures," she says. "Just always keeping an eye on what's going on and just how the girls are reacting to the crowds."
