PHOTOS6 Things Know About Conjoined Twins Brittany and Abby Hensel: Their Condition, Work and More
When Were Brittany and Abby Hensel Born?
Mike and Patty Hensel welcomed their conjoined daughters, Brittany and Abby, on March 7, 1990. The parents decided not to pursue surgery as doctors said the chance of survival was low.
What Is Brittany and Abby Hensel's Medical Condition?
Brittany and Abby first shared their story with the world when they appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1996.
The twins have dicephalic parapagus, as they have two heads over a shared pelvis. It reportedly occurs "if twinning is initiated after the embryonic disc and rudimentary amniotic sac have been formed."
Brittany and Abby each have a set of lungs, hearts, spines, stomachs and gallbladders but share the parts of their bodies from the waist down. They also have three kidneys.
The twins share a bloodstream, but Brittany controls their left arm and leg while Abby controls the right.
Abby Hensel's Marriage Garnered Attention
Today released a report on March 27 confirming that Abby has been married to Josh Bowling since 2021. Bowling's Facebook page also has photos of himself and the twins having fun together.
Following the report, social media users started to drop their questions about the twins' condition and potential agreement over the marriage.
The conjoined twins addressed the issue in a TikTok video, writing, "The internet is extra LOUD today. We have always been around."
"We are totally different people," Brittany also noted. "We usually bargain with each other like, 'If you do this, I'll do that.' Or we take turns."
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Are They Considered One Person or Two?
Although Brittany and Abby have the condition, the twins are treated as two people.
In the 2008 documentary Joined for Life: Abby and Brittany Turn 16, they explained how they obtained their own driver's licenses by taking and passing two separate tests.
"Abby takes over the pedals and the shifter, we both steer, and I take over the blinker and the lights. But she likes driving faster than me," Brittany explained.
They also had different majors at Bethel University and graduated with two Bachelor of Arts degrees.
Brittany and Abby Hensel Want Children
Before Abby's marriage, the siblings made it clear they want to have their own families.
"Yeah, we're going to be moms," Abby shared in an episode of Joined for Life: Abby & Brittany Turn 16 in 2006. "We haven't thought about how being moms is going to work yet."
What Do They Do for a Living?
Public records obtained by Us Weekly confirmed that both Abby and Brittany are working as fifth grade teachers in Brighton, Minn.
Abby's strong points are math and science, while Brittany focuses more on language.
