Abigail and Brittany Hensel

Abigail And Brittany Hensel

Abigail Loraine Hensel and Brittany Lee Hensel (born March 7, 1990) are dicephalic parapagus twins, meaning that they are conjoined twins, each of whom has a separate head, but whose bodies are joined. They are highly symmetric, giving the appearance of having just a single body with little variation from normal proportion. In fact, several vital organs are doubled up; each twin has a separate heart, stomach, spine, and spinal cord.

Each twin controls her half of their body, operating one of the arms and one of the legs. This means that as infants, the initial learning of physical processes that required bodily coordination, such as clapping, crawling, and walking required the cooperation of both children. While each is able to eat and write separately and simultaneously, activities such as running and swimming must be coordinated and alternate symmetrically. Other activities as diverse as brushing hair and driving a car require that each twin perform a sequence of separate actions that coordinate with the other.

Despite the curiosity that their condition has generated, the Hensel twins have managed to live private lives with relatively little press attention. At the age of 16, they gave an interview on The Learning Channel on December 17, 2006, in which they discussed aspects of their daily lives and plans for the future. They currently star in their own reality series on TLC.

Read more about Abigail And Brittany HenselBackground, Physiology, Adulthood, Media Appearances, Filmography

Other articles related to "abigail and brittany hensel, brittany":

Abigail And Brittany Hensel - Filmography
... December 17, 2006 Joined for Life Abby and Brittany Turn 16 The Learning Channel Advanced Medical Productions February 19, 2007 Extraordinary People The Twins Who Share a Body Five (UK ...

Famous quotes containing the word abigail:

    Her voice is thin and her moan is high,
    And her cackling laugh or her barking cold
    Bring terror to the young and old.
    O Molly, Molly, Molly Means
    Lean is the ghost of Molly Means.
    —Margaret Abigail Walker (b. 1915)