Abigail and Brittany Hensel took their first breath in 1990 as a pair of twins. These twins were a little different from others – They were conjoined. The rare case of conjoined twins caught them in a lot of limelight. They share a body but have different heads. Ever since their birth, their story has been covered by several magazines and media houses worldwide.
What are Conjoined Twins?
Conjoined twins are two babies born physically and connected to each other. They develop when an early embryo only partially separates to form two individuals. Although two fetuses develop from the same embryo, they remain connected at the different parts of their bodies, at the pelvis, abdomen, and chest. Conjoined twins may as well share one or more internal organs.
Many conjoined twins are not alive when born or stillborn. Some of them even die shortly after their birth. But the recent advancements in medical science have improved their survival rates. The doctors may perform surgeries to separate their bodies from each other.
The parents of Abby and Brittany gave a cold shoulder to this suggestion as it was risky. The sisters have become the most famous conjoined twins worldwide. They first appeared on television at the famous Oprah Winfrey Show. Back then, they were only six years old, trying to coordinate their shared body.
Here’s everything to know about the twin sisters.
Early Life of Abby and Brittany Hensel
Abigail, also known as Abby, and Brittany were born in 1990 in Minnesota and were raised by both parents in the same city. They graduated from the Mayer Lutheran High School in 2008. Afterward, the conjoined twins attended Bethel University in Arden Hills, Minnesota. They majored in their education from the said university.
The twins became college graduates by 2012 and entered the next and essential phase of their lives – their adulthood.
The sisters share many vital organs, including a bladder, an enlarged liver, a diaphragm, digestive systems, reproductive systems, and intestines. Each twin controls one arm and one leg that requires a lot of cooperation to complete their day-to-day tasks like running, walking, or driving a car. They were found saying that their body has been divided by a red line. One controls the left, and the other controls the right. They need to work together to be able to move properly.
The First TV Appearance
The world first saw Abby and Brittany in 1996, when the renowned celebrity, Oprah Winfrey invited them to her show. The little girls talked about their school life and shared other details of their daily routine.
They were also seen in several documentaries – Joined for Life, Extraordinary People: Twins Who Share a Body, and Abby and Brittany: Living in One Body, to name a few. Both the females used the medium of these documentaries to talk about their daily lives and how they learn to live fulfilling lives having different interests and passions. Abby loves solving math, while Brittany is a born writer and is often seen penning down notes in her diary.
From Twins to Famous Celebrity Twins
The twins lived their early life unnoticed by many. It was only a few articles and news segments that highlighted their condition and made this medical condition the topic of discussion. It was during their teen life that both the girls became famous. Many people looked forward to knowing about them in detail.
After the success of that one episode on the Oprah Winfrey Show and several television documentaries, the twin sister made a big announcement. They introduced their own reality show, Abby and Brittany, on TLC. The 8-episode show aired in 2012 and earned the twins a great fan base. So many people continued to love and admire the liveliness of both the sisters. The series documented the life events of both the sisters, like graduating their college, traveling to Europe, and finding their first job. Unfortunately, the show didn’t last long and went off-air.
Where are the Hensel Sisters Now?
In many ways, the conjoined twins were seen enjoying a perfectly normal life. They attended school, graduated college, and were highly social. They have a supportive family and friends. Managing everyday life together and overcoming the challenges that it throws is not a problem anymore for them. They even passed their driver’s license test together and played sports during their college days.
As of now, the 31-year-olds live a quiet life in their hometown. It was reported that they work as teachers at a school.
Their school principal was quoted saying both Abby and Brittany are a great source of inspiration to young children. Before they secured jobs as teachers, the supervisor of the school asked their students to react honestly to the pair. The students reportedly said that both the teachers are a part of their classroom.
The supervisor also mentioned that both the sisters offer a unique learning experience to the students, something that the other teachers in the school cannot provide. According to him, “There’s no question in my mind that they will really change the world for the better and influence lives in ways that those lives myself as one person never really do.”
The school principal employed the sisters because of their qualifications and ability to inspire the students to work hard to fulfill their dreams. According to him, “I don’t think there’s anything that they won’t try or something that they couldn’t be able to do if they really wanted to. To bring that to children, especially kid who might be struggling, that’s very special, that’s learned through lived example”.
In general, the twins have been pretty open and vocal about their trials and tribulations in front of the media. However, there is one thing at which they prefer sealing their lips. According to them, their love life is private and their privacy should be respected by the media.
Abby and Brittany are real rock stars who have proved that no matter how hard life is, there’s always a way out. Their story is inspiring for one and all. We wish them the best life ahead.
13 Celebrities That Seem to Have Discovered the Secret of Youth
There must be something rejuvenating in that Hollywood water! That’s a thought we all have in our heads from time to time when looking at pictures of forever fresh stars that seem to not have understood the concept of time. While we count how many new grey hairs grew this month, these celebrities keep on shocking us with the inconsistency of their age and their appearance.
Here at Bright Side, we love following celebrities, especially if it seems like they know the secrets of staying young and fresh forever. There’s definitely something we need to learn from them.
1. Eve, 1992 vs 2019
Eve started her career at a young age and has over 20 years of being under the spotlight. Now she’s 42, and it looks like years haven’t left any marks on her.
2. Gabrielle Union, 2009 vs 2021
The Bring It On and Being Mary Jane star shared that at 48 she has a few rules that boost her glow. She drinks enough water, makes sure she gets at least 8 hours of sleep, and exercises.
3. Queen Latifah, 1987 vs 2020
The Oscar-nominated, Grammy- and Emmy-winning singer and actress turned 51 on March 18. Queen shares that she does eat a lot of vegetables and lean meats, hydrates religiously and thinks that as long as you’re young at heart, your actual age doesn’t really matter.
4. Alicia Silverstone, 1992 vs 2020
The Clueless star, who is 44 years old, says that her diet is the secret to her youth — Alicia is vegan and leads an eco-friendly lifestyle. She shares that once she gave up meat and dairy, she started looking better after just 2 weeks.
5. Jeremy Piven, 2005 vs 2021
The famous American actor and comedian shared that he lifts weights, jumps rope, and does jiujitsu. He also said in an interview that he has been doing yoga for decades and goes for a run when he wakes up.
6. Alfre Woodard, 1995 vs 2020
Alfre Woodard is now 68 years old, but looking at her pictures from the past, it feels like she just changes outfits and hairstyles, but doesn’t age at all.
7. Jamie Foxx, 2004 vs 2021
There is always a question when it comes to Jamie Foxx — how does he still look as young as he did in the 2000s? Back then, when he was 33, he had his own series, The Jamie Foxx Show. Today, he’s 53 and still a popular actor that seems to have found the fountain of youth.
8. Sharon Stone, 2002 vs 2021
The 63-year-old actress shares that her secret of youth is something she took from her mom — she shares that she gave her a jar of moisturizer and told her to clean her skin and moisturize morning and night, and that’s what she does.
9. Bianca Lawson, 1991 vs 2019
Bianca Lawson has played teenagers on-screen since 1993 and it’s really no surprise why. The Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Pretty Little Liars star is 42, but you can’t tell since her glowing skin looks like it’s ageless. Bianca shares that she prefers natural sweeteners to sugar and tea to coffee and believes that youth is a mentality, so to stay young you have to reduce stress and enjoy life.
10. Alicia Keys, 1997 vs 2021
The 40-year-old singer not only looks young and fresh, but she also manages to look younger than her years without wearing heavy makeup — she advocates for embracing natural beauty and actually has incredible skin. Her routine includes jade rolling, oils, and cucumber pulp.
11. Elizabeth Hurley, 2001 vs 2021
Today the British model is 54 years old, but in her latest Instagram posts, she legitimately looks like a girl in her 20s. And though it looks effortless, she does put a lot of effort into it. Her methods are hydration, a balanced diet, and workouts. For example, Elizabeth does squats while brushing her teeth and considers gardening her main form of exercise.
12. Helena Christensen, 1998 vs 2020
It’s hard to believe, but the famous supermodel turns 52 this year, showing her flawless body on her Instagram account. Helena shared that in Denmark, where she’s from, people are taught to not hide anything when it comes to what nature gave them.
13. Janet Jackson, 1998 vs 2020
The music legend turned 55 in May and it seems like 20 years have left no marks on her face. Jackson doesn’t really share her secrets to staying young, though she mentioned that she has a mostly plant-based diet, doesn’t eat meat, and that she has a long-term relationship with fitness.
What’s your secret to staying youthful? We’d be happy to see your comments in the section below.
Bright Side has its own podcasts now. Take cool articles with you and listen to new stories whenever and wherever you want.
Preview photo credit John Mathew Smith / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0, janetjackson / instagram
Leave a Reply