One body for two: how do Siamese twins Abigail and Brittany Hensel live?
Abigail and Brittany Hensel live in New Germany, Minnesota. They are Siamese twins with a unique body structure. For two girls, two spines, two hearts (the circulatory system is common), two stomachs,three kidneys, three lungs and common genitals.
This is only the fourth recorded case in the scientific archives when twins with such an anatomy survived. At the same time, each sister feels the touch only on her half of the body and can only control one arm and one leg. Incredibly, they manage to lead a completely normal life.
For 27 years, Abby and Brittany have learned to coordinate their movements so well that they do not have to deny themselves anything. Without apparent difficulty, they ride a bicycle, swim, play volleyball and play the piano, dividing the composition into parts for the left hand and the right. Moreover, the American women even passed on the rights and now quietly drive around in their own car.
In addition, the girls also have different heights. Abby is 157 centimeters tall, and her sister is ten centimeters shorter. The length of their legs is also different, and Brittany has to wear shoes with higher heels or walk on tiptoe to avoid limping.
In general, there are a lot of amazing things about them. "I can have a completely different temperature," Abby says. "We often feel that our palms are at different temperatures when they touch." There are also different hobbies, characters and taste preferences. For example, Brittany likes milk, and her sister can't stand it. When they eat soup, Brittany won't let her sister sprinkle crackers on her half.
It often seems to others that girls can read each other's minds. It is common for them to finish a sentence started by their sister. In one of the interviews, they recalled a case when one of them asked: "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?» It turned out that this was the case, after which the girls turned off the TV and went to read a book. Doctors explain this by the fact that certain parts of their nervous system intersect.
When the sisters have disagreements about what they should do, they flip a coin, ask their parents for advice, or set the order of the desired actions. But it is now relatively easy for them to find a compromise, and as a child, Abby and Brittany even fought.
The girls graduated from the university, having defended two diplomas. Now they teach math in high school. But they only get one salary. They have everything in common, even life.
Keywords: USA | Health and medicine | Siamese twins | Society | Anatomy | Sisters | Amazing