Conjoined Twins Abby And Brittany Hensel Are One Of A Kind. See Where Are They Now

April 26, 2018

Abigail Loraine "Abby" Hensel and Brittany Lee Hensel were born March 7, 1990, as conjoined twins. At birth, their parents considered separating the girls but doctors advised against it, suggesting that the risks were too high.

By the time they were 12, they went through a surgery at the Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare for scoliosis correction. The procedure expended their chest cavity and eliminated the difficulty in breathing, the girls experienced prior.

Growing up was not all easy

Despite having separate heads, the girls share all their organs. However, they each have restricted sense of touch, limited to their individual sides of their body. Their 2013 TLC show, Abby & Brittany, provided a close-up into the life of the twins.

In the course of growing up, they have learned to work as a team, each girl having control of one side of their body. Together they can run, walk, type on a keyboard and even drive.

The girls have a tendency to finish each other’s sentences. In some cases, it seems like they are literally thinking together, despite having two separate brains. However, it is clear that their minds still work independently. For example, one twin may want to eat at a time the other does not.

As for activities, they have little choice but to do everything together. Shopping is one thing that gets their heads knocking together though. Usually, one twin has to compromise on fashion choices when they pick outfits.

Perhaps the hardest thing the girls have to deal with is not being able to have private moments alone. Still, Abby and Brittany try to find humor in their situation. In many ways, it helps keep their spirits up.

Where are they now?

Abby and Brittany are now 28 and live a much quieter life than they did growing up. After graduating high school, they studied education at Bethel University.

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Now, they work as teachers in a public school about an hour away from their Minnesota hometown.

Due to the nature of their condition, not much is known about their social life, especially with regard to relationships.

Alice Dregar, a conjoined twin expert while speaking to The Atlantic in 2012, suggested that Abby and Brittany were probably not finding it easy getting romantic partners.

Conjoined twins simply may not need sex-romance partners as much as the rest of us do. Throughout time and space, they have described their condition as something like being attached to a soul mate.

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Whatever the case may be, it is good to see Abby and Brittany are still productive and contributing to their community, despite the odds.