It is rare for twins conjoined the way that Abby and Brittany are to survive into adulthood, but despite this they are in good health, without heart defects or organ failure. While they were born with three arms, one was removed surgically.Īlthough Brittany - the left twin - can't feel anything on the right side of the body and Abigail - the right twin - can't feel anything on her left, instinctively their limbs move as if co-ordinated by one person, even when typing e-mails on the computer. They have two spines (which join at the pelvis), two hearts, two oesophagi, two stomachs, three kidneys, two gall bladders, four lungs (two of which are joined), one liver, one ribcage, a shared circulatory system and partially shared nervous systems.įrom the waist down, all organs, including the intestine, bladder and reproductive organs, are shared. The Hensel girls are the rarest form of conjoined twins, the result of a single fertilised egg which failed to separate properly in the womb. Just one set of twins in every 40,000 is born connected in some way to each other and only 1 per cent of those survive beyond the first year. It has not been unknown, however, for the twins to go out in a specially made top with two different necklines - to reflect their unique tastes - and leggings with each leg a contrasting colour and a different shoe on each foot.
Speaking back then, Brittany said: 'Believe me, we are totally different people.' The Hensels are believed to be one of only a few sets of dicephalus twins in history to survive infancy, and when they turned 16, they allowed the cameras into their fiercely guarded private world to share this milestone in their lives.
The Daily Mail first introduced the Hensel twins 16 years ago, when they were six years old, and now their latest escapades show the dramatic progress they have made into early adulthood. Feat of teamwork: The girls passed their driving test on their 16th birthday, with each twin using one arm to control the steering wheel
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