Siamese twins… got married (video)

American women Abigail and Brittany Hensel are Siamese twins, but they live full lives. Three years ago, a grandiose event took place, which became known only now – one of the sisters married “the man of her dreams.”

The sisters have many friends, interesting jobs, and exciting hobbies. They live truly rich, interesting lives. But inexorable statistics show that only 1% of Siamese twins survive to one year. The story of Abby and Brittany Hensel is simply amazing. They have already passed the 30-year mark and have no complaints about their health. At the same time, they feel quite comfortable and willingly discuss the features of their lives.

However, this was the case until recently – after all, one of the sisters recently got married, and she had her own secrets. But not from my sister, of course, because they have “one life for two.” Each twin has its own heart, stomach, and pair of lungs. They have separate vertebrae, merging at the tailbone and connected at the rib cage by sections of the ribs, and two separate spinal cords.

Interestingly, they were born with a small, vestigial arm between them, which doctors surgically removed. Everything that is in their pelvic area is common: the intestines, the bladder, a set of reproductive organs. The circulatory system is also common: the diet and medication taken by one of the sisters affects the body of the other. But the girls have three kidneys between them: two on the left and one on the right.

Their mother had no idea she was carrying twins until after the birth. And I certainly didn’t expect that children would be born with such a feature. At first, she and her husband were shocked, but the thought of abandoning the girls did not even occur to them:

“When we saw them for the first time, we thought they were beautiful.”

Doctors, as often in such cases, suggested that the parents perform a complex operation to separate the Siamese twins. But they refused to put their girls at risk – the likelihood that one of them would die was too great.

Abby and Brittany are a true team. Each of them controls its own arm and leg, so even the simplest action must be coordinated. They eat from separate plates: one holds a fork, the other holds a knife to cut the food, and then the girls take turns putting food in each other's mouths.

Despite all the difficulties, the girls learned to run, swim, ride a bike and play the piano. The twins also mastered driving a car. As teenagers, they took written and practical exams separately. State law required that each get their own license.

The girls grew up in a village with a population of 300 people. In rural areas, everyone quickly got used to their unusual appearance. But in all other places they have a hard time: people stare at them, point fingers, ask stupid questions. Many consider them to be one person with two heads, so parents encouraged their children to develop their individuality as much as possible from an early age.

Initially, the girls planned to study at two colleges and get different professions. “I remember one wanted to be a pilot and the other wanted to be a dentist, but that didn’t last long,” says the sisters’ mother. We decided on college at Bethel University. After receiving their diploma, the girls found work as primary school teachers. At first they worked part-time, and since 2017 – full-time.

Some feared for the reaction of students and their parents, but this did not happen. Moreover, many students are inspired by what these two have achieved and how they were able to overcome such difficult challenges.

Three years ago, an important event took place in the lives of the sisters – Abigail married 33-year-old hospice nurse and US Army veteran Josh Bowling in 2021. The secret wedding of Siamese twins became known only almost three years later. The marriage marks an important personal milestone that the twins have passed.

After the mother published photos and videos from her daughter’s wedding, the Internet began to vigorously discuss Abigail’s marriage: on social networks they were worried about how Abby’s sister Brittany felt during the first dance, and were also interested in how intimate life was going in the newly-made family. and whether the couple plans to have children in the future.

The mother hastened to delete the video materials, but it was too late – a flurry of comments hit the twins. Judging by the responses, the sisters are not very happy about the close attention to their personal lives. However, Abby and Brittany answered one of the questions that users online recently began asking a long time ago. When they were 16 years old, the girls were asked if they would like to have a child in the future.

“Yes, we're going to be moms,” Brittany responded at the time, “but we haven't thought about exactly how it's going to work yet. We're only 16—we don't need to think about it right now.”

Female conjoined twins have previously given birth to children, and similar incidents have been recorded around the world, but in all those cases, each sister had her own reproductive organs. Hensel cannot boast of this, so it is unclear whether pregnancy is possible. The sisters, for obvious reasons, do not share sensitive details of their lives.

Source link