Conjoined twins

[snopes]

Comment: Is this an actual case of living conjoined twins???

http://www.yourdailymedia.com/media/...njoined_Twinsd

[Ceiling Fan]

These girls seem to be Abigail and Brittany Hensel, born in 1990.

I'm not sure though if this TLC is a TV channel or just a show. Anyway, that is where the clip is from.

I found several web pages that mentioned them when I googled their names.

[franjava]

I don't have plug in, so I can't view the link. I'll assume that Abigail and Brittany are indeed the twins in question. TLC is a channel (The Learning Channel,) and the twins have a documentary that shows from time to time. I've watched it a couple times because I'm so amazed that they work so well together. Abigail controls her side of the body, while Brittany controls her side. In the documentary, they play a front-yard game of whiffle ball and even run the bases. They are awesome!

Originally Posted by Ceiling Fan

I'm not sure though if this TLC is a TV channel or just a show. Anyway, that is where the clip is from.

TLC is a channel (the abbreviation stands for "The Learning Channel"). It shows a lot of documentaries about people like these conjoined twins.

[Malruhn]

I wanna know which of them runs who's fingers... In the clip, you can see them typing, and their fingers were moving pretty fast. For them to coordinate between two brains to type would have slowed them down quite a bit, in my opinion.

And they're CUTE! They seem like rather well adjusted, ishy, teen girls.

[LittleDuck]

I remember seeing them in a Discovery or TLC thing quite a few years ago (they were young at the time, probably between 7 and 9). They were running around a swimming pool and I was amazed how well adjusted they seemed to be.

[bthyb]

They're great - I think being that close to someone all the time would drive me batty, but I guess they're used to it.

They're pretty remarkable. They're even driving now.

[mags]

I thought these girls were amazing when I saw the special on them five years ago when they were 11. They're just so "normal."

They recently did another special about the twins turning 16. They're just as normal and grounded as ever. Probably more put together and sure of themselves than most teens.

Each of them controls one side of the body, meaning when they walk or run (which they do quite naturally), it's a coordinated effort between two brains. If asked how they do it, they say they don't know. Of course, that would be my answer if anyone asked me how I walk too. The same goes for when they're typing. I'm not sure if they discuss before typing what they want to say, or not. Twins, especially identical, tend to think very much along the same lines so I think they'd be able to feed off each other what they're meaning to say.

[Cactus Wren]

I note that they're no longer having their clothes modified. When they were children, their mother always had their outfits professionally altered to have two necklines, to emphasize their individuality. But perhaps since they've established that in the eyes of those around them, it's no longer an issue for them.

[Nonny Mouse]

I remember seeing them on 60 Minutes back when they were eleven or so and being impressed by how well-adjusted they were and how well they function together. It's nice to see that they're still doing well.

Nonny

[mizzie]

The really crazy thing is that I was just thinking about these two the other day. I also saw the TLC show on them when they are about 10 or 11 and I was wondering how they were doing now. I'm glad to see that they are well adjusted, normal, happy teenagers. I wondered when I saw the show before how things would be when they hit their teen years. But I suppose the kids there have known then their whole lives.

It really is amazing to see them work together like that. The thing that struck me the most when I saw the old show was a shot of them riding a bike. I was like "how do they do that?!?"

[Collegefreshman]

I remember reading about these kids in Life. Also, apologies if I'm a wee bit PC crazed, but I dunno if it's totally "amazing" that they're living a normal life: they aren't conjoined at the head like other twins have been. Couldn't you say they have it easier than other different conjoined twins?

[Sister Ray]

Being conjoined at the head is not the most rare.

This explains it.

Sister "who gets along with her twin, but still wouldn't want to be conjoined" Ray

[Mickey Blue]

Originally Posted by Collegefreshman

I remember reading about these kids in Life. Also, apologies if I'm a wee bit PC crazed, but I dunno if it's totally "amazing" that they're living a normal life: they aren't conjoined at the head like other twins have been. Couldn't you say they have it easier than other different conjoined twins?

Well yea, they have it easier then other conjoined kids, seems to be few deformities other then the obvious one, and joined in such a way that they appear fairly normal and have full control of all their functions (it would seem).

That said, its pretty NFBSKing amazing, I mean for most sixteen year olds being fat, or being too thin, or having pimples, or wearing glasses, or having braces, or any other number of things is difficult to go through.. These girls have two heads (essentially). Ignoring others out there they also have to come to terms with balancing things between their two obviously distinct personalities, I can only handle my brother in small doses and he lives six hundred miles away..

I sometimes worry I end up in some accident that leaves me disfigured and have to go through life dealing with it, these girls have a much worse* disability that theyve had to deal with their entire lives..

-MB

*Worse in the sense that its much more abnormal, if I lost an arm people would think "well Ive seen people without arms before" and move on, but if I had a second talking functioning head..?

[annabohly]

Does anyone know when the tlc special comes on again-the new one? I checked the website but didn't see anything. I saw the the older show awhile back and was so fascinated by them, they are truly amazing.

[Yleemjseg]

I wonder how many arguments they actually have? Do they fight over what they eat? If one of them eats a lot, does the other get annoyed because they're full and haven't tried the cake yet? Was that type of stuff covered in the show about them?

I think it's great how well the rest of the community seems to accept them as well. It's probably most difficult to understand how they function like that, because we think about what it would be like if we were like that, having already spent our lives the way we have. Having been together since birth, all that they can do that we find amazing would be so natural to them. I wonder, if you could magically separate them into two complete people, how long it would take them to learn to walk and function.

Also, when the drama club puts on a production of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, i bet they always get cast as Zaphod Beeblebrox.

[Sara@home]

I thought it interesting that the DMV decided they had to take separate driving test. Seems like the best idea considering they are two individuals but odd because they each have to participate in the driving because each controls a different side of their body. I wonder how the law would have handled it if one had failed the drivers test and one had passed.

[Mickey Blue]

I thought it interesting that the DMV decided they had to take separate driving test. Seems like the best idea considering they are two individuals but odd because they each have to participate in the driving because each controls a different side of their body. I wonder how the law would have handled it if one had failed the drivers test and one had passed.

This is pretty far removed but in the Virginia EMT-B test you have to test with a partner and if your parnter fails you also do*. I suppose you could say this is the same thing except they dont' get to choose their partners.. Best guess I could offer up.

*There were some general exceptions if your partner was particularly bad and you were particularly good, I actually fell under one of these but I tell you it was still a fight to get my cert.

I wonder how many arguments they actually have? Do they fight over what they eat? If one of them eats a lot, does the other get annoyed because they're full and haven't tried the cake yet? Was that type of stuff covered in the show about them?

I'm surprised they can handle the same intersts, me and my brother have very little in common in terms of interests, I like to go outside, run, hike, fish, etc, he likes to stay inside, read, play videogames (not that I don't play videogams also, just not as much), and stuff like that.

We like different movies, he hates horror movies, I love them.

We like different foods.

We want to have very different jobs.

I'm just amazed that they can work all this out.. Then again I guess when you literally have no choice but to make things work you just *do*.

[Lainie]

Originally Posted by Mickey Blue

I'm surprised they can handle the same intersts, me and my brother have very little in common in terms of interests [snip] I'm just amazed that they can work all this out.. Then again I guess when you literally have no choice but to make things work you just *do*.

Well that, and I'm also thinking of those stories of identical twins separated at birth and later reunited, who have had the same college major, chosen the same career, married women who looked alike, etc. Plus some pairs of siblings just have more in common than others. My youngest brother (older than me, but youngest of the brothers) and I share a number of interests and have very similar tastes in many things.