Do you remember Abigail and Brittany of TLC reality show Abby and Brittany? If you have watched the show then it must have been on your favorite list. The show documented day to day life of these extraordinary twins. Abby and Brittany are twins with one body. Due to their unique body shape, they have faced a lot of difficulties in their life. But instead of bowing down they made it their strength and emerged as champions. We have documented the inspiring life journey of these two unique twins that began from their astounding ends at their present. You will also come across some surprising lesser-known facts about the two.

Arrival Of Miracle

Mike was very happy on learning about the pregnancy of Patty, his better half. They were super excited and unaware of what future had planned for them. The pregnancy was going smooth and no trace of complication had been anticipated. Even the ultrasounds were very normal according to their parents. Whenever they saw two heads linked in the sonogram the doctors thought that the heads of the twin might have got aligned and dismissed any further doubts. However, Mike once or twice heard two heartbeats but even his observation was scrapped. Then came the day when Patty was rushed to the hospital. She was about to give delivery to their child. It was going to be a remarkable moment for everyone.

30 Seconds Silence

Brittany and Abigail Hensel were Born on 7 March 1990, to Patty, a nurse, and Mike, a landscaper, and carpenter. Their arrival was nothing short of a surprise for their parents and doctors. The newly born babies were not ordinary in any sense! They were conjoined twins. The doctors had to double take on the infants as nobody had anticipated united twins. In the surprise, everyone in the room fell silent for about 30 seconds. The surprise was soon followed by despair as the doctors declared that the twins would not be able to survive the night.

They Are Going To Die?

That very night the infants were taken to a closeby children’s hospital. Patty remembers “We thought they were going to die.” Patty’s health had also deteriorated due to high blood pressure. Because of her weakness, Patty’s sister Sandy Fiecke took the charge and cared for her kid at the children’s hospital. She used to go near the newborns only after wearing Patty’s and Mikes’s sweatshirt so that the two could know their parent’s scent. It was difficult for Mike to spread the news of the arrival of their newborn babies to their kin and friends. He said, “It’s pretty hard to explain to your folks how the kids were put together.”

Minnesota’s Girls

But Minnesota’s girls did survive the night! It was yet to be seen for how long were they going to prove the doctors wrong. They had a medical condition called Dicephalic Parapagus. It is a rare condition in which twins share the same body separated by two heads on the torso. Usually, infants with this medical condition do not live long, in fact, most of them are stillborn. Britanny and Abby also had the same body with separate vital organs. The two had their own stomach, spine, heart, spinal cord and lungs. However, the two did not have the same reproductive system. The worst thing was that the doctors had said that the twins were not going to live beyond their childhood.

Separation Surgery

In order to separate the twins, the doctor advised a separation surgery after the girls were born. But their parents turned down the option. They had been told by many other medical practitioners that the surgery can prove detrimental to their newborn’s lives. It was a high risk. As of now, the decision was okay for the kid but it was to see how right or wrong was the decision of their parents when the twins would grow up. Will they accept being conjoined in future when they would have their own thoughts and preferences?

The Hurdle

The sharing of the same reproductive organ made it difficult for them to undergo separation surgery. The surgery was dangerous as despite having separate vital organs they were sharing same reproductive organ. Along with having one reproductive organ the two also shared liver, ribcage, intestine, bladder and circulatory system. If we go by the estimation than the birth of conjoined twins occurs only once out of every 189,000 birth and the rare condition of Abby and Brittany makes them a part of 11 percent.