LIFE magazine cover April 1996
On March 7, 2006 twins Abigail and Brittany Hensel celebrated their 16th birthdays by testing for and obtaining their Minnesota driver licenses.
Although that sounds perfectly ordinary, the girls made history: They are conjoined twins, sharing one body with two heads.
They drive together as one by coordinating control of the steering wheel, and Abby controls the gas/brake pedals while Brittany handles the left side controls such as the turn signal.
Conjoinment happens very early in a woman’s pregnancy. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Identical twins (monozygotic twins) occur when a single fertilized egg splits and develops into two individuals. Eight to 12 days after conception, the embryonic layers that will split to form monozygotic twins begin to develop into specific organs and structures.
It’s believed that when the embryo splits later than this — usually between 13 and 15 days after conception — separation stops before the process is complete, and the resulting twins are conjoined.”
I’ve seen a variance in the figures of having conjoined twins, but the most reputable sites put the odds at 1 in 200,000. Most conjoined twin babies are stillborn or survive less than 24 hours. About 75% of conjoined twins are female.
The Hensel twins were born into a seemingly ordinary household; Dad is a carpenter and landscaper and Mom is a registered nurse. But for the girls to have blossomed into the people they are tells me that the parents must be extraordinary. From day one they treated the girls as two separate people.
I enjoy watching videos of the girls. It’s amazing how indeed they are two individuals, yet they sometimes speak the same words at the same instant. If one wants to put her head in her hands as in an “I can’t believe this!” moment, the other twin moves her hand spontaneously to make that happen.
Together the girls have shown the world that there’s not much they can’t do: they play piano, dance, participate in sports, ride a bike, and drive a car. They have traveled to Europe. They made history again by graduating from high school and college. They are jointly employed as elementary school teachers. The link below is an interview with the principal who hired them.
In a world where we often hear about cruelties inflicted by middle school and high school kids, it was so refreshing to see the protective social network the girls had. They seemed to fit in so seamlessly.
When they were around six, they were on Oprah and on the cover of Life Magazine. In order to educate the world, to help people with understanding that conjoined twins are not freaks, they did a reality show when they were teens.
The love they have for each other is so obvious. It seems to seep out of their very pores.
I’m willing to bet they are amazing teachers in addition to being extraordinary human beings.
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