Dicephalic Conjoined Twins
Abigail "Abby" Loraine Hensel and Brittany "Britty" Lee Hensel, were born on March 7, 1990 in Carver County, Minnesota. They are dicephalic conjoined twins. They have two spines which join at the pelvis. They have two stomachs, four lungs (two partially conjoined pairs), and two arms.
A third, underdeveloped and unusable arm between their heads was amputated in infancy.
Abigail and Brittany Hensel's parents are Patty, a registered nurse and Mike Hensel, a carpenter and landscaper. The twins have a younger brother named Dakota and a younger sister named Morgan. They were raised in New Germany, Minnesota and attend Lutheran High School in Mayer, Minnesota. They plan to graduate in 2008.
When the twins were born, their parents chose not to have them separated, as the operation would have been risky and left them in wheelchairs. They do not regret their decision. the twins have themselves stated that they don't wish to be separated. At age 12, they underwent surgery at Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare to correct scoliosis and to expand their chest cavity to prevent future difficulties with breathing.Each of the twins manages one side of their conjoined body; They cannot feel any sensation on the other girl's side, yet they can somehow tell when to do something like scratch a mosquito bite on the other girl's arm. Through it all, by coordinating their efforts, they are able to walk and run normally. They enjoy hobbies and sports including volleyball, basketball, kickball, swimming, cycling, and singing. They also play the piano and are avid computer users. Like many teenagers of their generation, they enjoy softball, digital photography, the internet, social networking, and talking on the telephone.
Despite sharing a body, the twins have different tastes in food and clothes. Some of their clothes are altered so that they have two separate necklines in order to emphasize their individuality. They will usually have separate meals, but sometimes will share a single meal for the sake of convenience.
They successfully passed their driver license exam, both the written and driving tests. They had to take the tests twice, once for each twin. Both control the steering wheel, Abby controls the pedals and transmission radio, heat, defogger etc. , and Brittany controls the turn signal and lights.
The news that Abby and Brittany Hensel are engaged is still not confirmed. Abigail and Brittany Hensel are 18-year-old now and attending their first year at college as grown adults. The news of ‘their’ engagement first came in January, but that’s still unconfirmed. In the month of January this year, there were rumors that Abby and Brittany Hensel are engaged or at least one of them but since then, there has been no confirmation to the same. However, Chamberlain and 32-year-old Pedace have been inspired by Abby and Brittany and they have been reported to be engaged, would soon get married too.
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