How old are Abby and Brittany Hensel, the conjoined twins from Minnesota?
Like many twins they have very different personalities and tastes – even more so now they are teenagers. Abigail, the feisty, stubborn one, likes orange juice for breakfast while Brittany, the joker of the family, will touch only milk. But that is where the similarity with other teenage twins end. For Abigail and Brittany Hensel are conjoined, sharing one body fused at the torso. Each controls just one side of the body, and yet remarkably this has not prevented them leading a full, active and happy life. Displaying an astonishing co- ordination which has stunned doctors, they play the piano -with Abigail taking the right-hand parts and Brittany the left – and enjoy sports such as bowling, volleyball, cycling, softball and swimming. And on their 16th birthday they passed their driving test; a mind-boggling feat of teamwork with each twin using one arm to control the steering wheel. Brittany explains: ‘Abby does the pedals and the gear shifter. I take over the blinkers and the lights. Bu
Abigail “Abby” Loraine Hensel and Brittany “Britty” Lee Hensel (born March 7, 1990, Carver County, Minnesota, United States), are highly symmetric dicephalic parapagus conjoined twins, and further, tribrachius, bipedus. They have two spines and separate half-sacrums, which converge distally within a slightly broad pelvis. They each control and sense their corresponding arm and leg; a third, rudimentary central arm was amputated in infancy. They both successfully passed their driver’s license exam, both the written and driving tests. They had to take the tests twice, once for each twin. Abby controls the pedals, radio, heat, defogger, etc. while Brittany controls the turn signal and lights; together, they control the steering wheel. They also want to visit the UK, so they can both have a chance to use their opposite controls. They both graduated from high school in 2008. They began college at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. In conversation, they are clearly distinct perso
A set of twins who have not been separated are Abigail and Brittany Hensel of Minnesota who are now 19. They are dicephalic conjoined twins, with two spines that join at the pelvis. They have two stomachs, four lungs (two partially conjoined pairs), two arms and two legs. Their parents chose not to have them separated, as the operation would have been risky and left them in wheelchairs. The twins also said they did not want to be separated. Each of the twins manages one side of their conjoined body and by co-ordinating their efforts, they are able to walk and run normally. They enjoy hobbies and sports, including volleyball, basketball, swimming, cycling, and singing. They play the piano and are avid computer users. They finished high school in 2008 and are at University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Sources: http://www.news24.
