Identical conjoined twins, Abby and Brittany Hensel have shared how their bodies are connected in a new post.
The sisters, who first hit our screens aged six following an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1996, went on to appear on a number of documentaries and even had their own reality show on TLC.
While navigating the world with a conjoined body, Abby and Brittany let the world in on their challenges and their successes.
But one question everyone has had is: 'How exactly are you conjoined?'
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Well, they’ve answered it, and it sheds a lot of light on how their condition affects their anatomy.
The sisters shared a video on their TikTok account to visually describe how their body operates.
In the video, you can see a mapped-out simulation of their body and also their organs and skeletal structure.
It explains that the pair each have their own brain, their own spinal cord which fuses into one half-way down their back and more.
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It revealed that Abby controls the right arm and right leg, while Brittany controls the opposite side.
This means that they have to ‘coordinate’ their movements, which they have become incredibly smooth with as their daily operation requires being able to be in tune with each other.
The video said: “For activities requiring both arms, such as holding objects, typing on a keyboard or steering a car, they rely on constant cooperation and communication.
“They’re able to perform these tasks smoothly thanks to the remarkable synchronisation between their two brains and nervous systems.”
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The narrated video also shared that, while both women have their own heart, they are connected to the same circulatory system and their hearts can have an impact on the other.
They also have two lungs, which is partially fused in the middle, two oesophagi, two stomachs, a shared liver which is larger than normal, a shared small intestine, a shared large intestine and three kidneys.
Abby has one kidney and Brittany has two, which helps the pair’s filtration accommodate their shared urinary system.
Because they have their own stomachs and oesophagus, they are able to feel hunger separately, however, they feel stomach ache differently - if one twin gets stomach pain, it’s felt by the opposite person.
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“Overall, Abby and Brittany’s unique anatomy can be summarised as follows: two heads, two spines merging at the coccyx, two brains and spinal cords, two hearts, one circulatory system, four lungs- two partially fused, two stomachs, two gallbladders, three kidneys, one liver, one small intestine, one large intestine, one pelvis, one bladder, one set of reproductive organs, two arms and two legs,” shared the video.
It noted that the women have defied the odds to live successful lives, and their extraordinary coordination means that they have been able to live actively and happily.
Never ones to let their condition stop them, Abby went on to tie the knot with her partner Josh Bowling in 2021 and both women work at a school as teaching assistants, as well as being able to drive their own car.
Britt Jones