A pair of conjoined twin sisters, who live in the United States, were ridiculed when they were children but lived a happy life with a husband when they were adults. They learned not to care about people who bash them as they grew older. However, some people wondered if their marriage with 1 husband would work and if they can produce a baby to build a family.
Abby and Brittany Hensel were born on March 7, 1990, in Minnesota, USA. In the delivery room of the hospital, the eager mother wanted to immediately see her baby after it was born since she has undergone the pain of pregnancy since October of the previous year. Once the baby was born, some of the nurses suddenly looked terrified and ran out of the delivery room. Anxious to know her baby’s condition, the mother turned to the doctor, who broke the news to her, “You have to be mentally prepared. The good news is that your twins are safe and sound. The bad news is that their appearance may be quite ‘special’.”
After hearing the doctor’s warning, she urged for her baby to be brought over. At first glance, she panicked and burst into tears, then fainted. It turned out that her twins were conjoined from the upper body to below. They have one body but with two heads on 2 necks. The most bizarre thing is the baby had an extra arm protruding between the 2 heads.
The doctor informed the mother that conjoined twins were caused by the incomplete division of the fertilized eggs in the early stages of pregnancy, and conjoined twins rarely survive after they are born, with the chances of surviving after birth being 1 out of 200,000. To some extent, the vital signs of the two babies are stable, which makes them extremely lucky. After some time, the parents accepted the fate of their newborn twins and promised to raise them well.
A few weeks passed, and the doctor and the twin’s parents discussed the probability of separating the 2 girls. However, the doctor informed them that the risk is very high since they only share one body with 2 arms and 2 legs. Separating them would cause severe disabilities. After giving it some thought, the mother decided to have the protruding arm between the necks removed.
Although Abby and Brittany were born conjoined, they were considered the “lucky ones.” Their parents did not abandon them and raised them full of love, just like normal children. Their guidance to the twins played an important role while they were growing up. However, it did not stop the people from saying harsh words in front of the twins. According to Abby and Brittany, when they were 7 years old, children in the neighboring communities gave them rude nicknames, such as “two-headed monster” or “monster twins”. Some parents who were disciplining their children say to them that the twins will “eat disobedient children.” The twins and their parents live in a hostile environment with people not accepting the twins. They grew up with cloudy judgments and are afraid to go out of the house since they may be regarded as “monkeys from the circus.”
Fortunately, they have encouraging parents who always tell them, “You are children kissed by God, our angels.”
Their parents do everything to stop others from humiliating the twins, making them feel that they are the ray of sunshine in their dark world. Soon, their parents hired professional psychological teachers for the twins and found a school that was appropriate for them. Under the guidance of many professionals, the twins formed a better outlook on life and values, and their mood was no longer so gloomy. They began to enjoy the norms of life.
Since most of the psychological problems were solved, their parents guided the twins in a much more practical routine for their daily lives. The conjoined twins share only 1 body, with internal and external organs fit for only 1 person. The twins must be coordinated with their movements and be considerate of the feelings of the other. They must do things correlatively and sequentially.
Although the twins were born in one body, they have very different personalities. Brittany is more indecisive, while Abby is smart and straightforward. Their living habits differ and when they could not agree on a certain opinion, a big fight ensues.
The sisters recalled that they were 12 years old when they had the biggest feud. Their body contracted pneumonia and needed long-term bed rest. However, one of them wanted to go out and get some fresh air. At breakfast one day, she said to her mother: “Staying at home with my sister every day makes me feel moldy. Why don’t we separate! In this way, we will be freer from each other.”
The other sister burst into tears upon hearing the complaint of her sister and kept on apologizing, begging her mother not to separate them. Reprimanding the complaining sister, the mother said, “Sisters should trust and rely on each other, and should not let the other sister take the risk of her life because of her own selfishness.” The complaining sister lowered her head in shame after hearing her mother’s teaching, realizing that she was very important to her conjoined sister.
After heeding some of their mother’s teachings, the sisters became considerate of each other’s feelings, and learned to cooperate, realizing that they can never be physically separated for the rest of their lives. In school, the twins are often encouraged by their teacher to play some games to cultivate shared understanding and provide them with psychological counseling services, so the bond of sisterhood will grow stronger.
Days passed, and the twins learned more skills at school. They can participate in many sports activities, such as swimming, softball, and running, among others. However, the three-legged race was quite difficult for them. They came up with ways on how to coordinate with each other, and the twins have learned to agree with each other’s opinions.
When the twins were 16, they passed the test to acquire a Driver’s License through cooperation. However, they were 2 different people, so they had to take the test twice to obtain 2 separate Driver’s License cards. One local traffic police were puzzled upon learning of the conjoined twin’s situation. He said, “If one of the sisters had a driving violation, should they post one ticket or two?”
The twins thrived under the guidance of their parents and studied on a university campus with excellent grades. While they are on campus, everyone loves their cheerful and optimistic personalities, and the twins have gained a lot of friends who ignored their physical flaws.
When the twins reached their early 20s, they had reached the stage of having their first love. Since they have no personal space, they were both shy to talk about their crushes. However, they soon discovered that they had a crush on the same boy.
The young boy was Juan of the college baseball team. He has a handsome appearance and strong physique that made the sisters swoon. Whenever Juan plays, the sisters find reasons to participate and silently cheer for him off the court. There was a time when one of the sisters heard the other say his name silently while asleep, and the other realized that they are both the “closest love rival.”
The next day, the sister who heard the other say Juan’s name in her sleep told her upfront of what she has heard. Of course, the other denied, her face flushed with embarrassment. However, the other sister said cheerfully, “I thought about it, and we can’t step into two marriages by sharing a body. In fact, I also like Juan, and I am very happy to have the same sweetheart with the closest person.”
Knowing that both of them fell for the same boy, the sisters decided to open up about their feelings for Juan. However, they were afraid their unusual appearance may disgust Juan, so they kept their feelings hidden and just observed him from afar. They assumed that the boy of their dreams may never enter their world.
At a ballroom party, the twins wore a red dress, which made them look like European beauties. They were the focus of attention at the event, but no one dared to invite them to dance. The sisters glanced at Juan, who was in the middle of the dance floor and wanted to leave the party feeling disappointed.
Heaven seemed to know what the sisters were feeling at the time. Unexpectedly, Juan bumped into the sisters, who turned to leave the party. Passing through the crowd, they froze where they stood. Juan reached out to invite them to dance, witnessed by the guests at the party. The sister with the right hand did not hesitate to accept the invitation, while the sister on the left was still astounded.
The girls seem to get control of their dance steps while Juan led them on the dance floor. People at the ball clapped their hands to the rhythm and cheered the unusual couple while they dance. The 3 became close friends and enjoyed good conversations together. Juan never treated them differently. He admired their optimistic and cheerful dispositions. After a few years, the 3 of them decided to get married.
Initially, Juan’s parents objected to the marriage. They did not want a “monster” for a daughter-in-law. However, with joined efforts to persuade them, the parents discovered that the twins were of pure and kind hearts despite their appearance. Finally, they agreed to respect their son’s wish to marry the twins and pursue their happiness. The 3 overcame many obstacles along the way and finally entered matrimony. Amidst the blessings of relatives and friends, and wearing a beautiful wedding dress, the 3 made their vows to love each other and grow old together.
Marriage life has gotten the 3 to get along very well. No rivalry or jealousy, only respect for each other. When they realized that their marriage is stable, they decided to have a baby to complete the family. After having their physical examination at a doctor’s office, they learned that their physical flaw is not a “curse” and is not genetic. They share 1 uterus and have normal reproductive functions. The sisters were very happy with the results and decided to try it that night with their husband.
After a few tries, the sisters finally got pregnant. Looking at their growing belly, the sisters wanted to raise their child the same way their parents did, full of love and respect. Juan is very excited about having a baby and took good care of the sisters the best way he could.
However, contrary to what was expected, the baby was born prematurely and did not survive, causing a huge blow to the twins. Fortunately, Juan and his parents continued to console the sisters and eventually got over the grief of losing their baby. They said, “We can also adopt children to be a part of our new family.” Noticing that the sisters still grieve their baby who died in childbirth, Juan encouraged the sisters, and the 3 decided to visit the local orphanage for adoption when the time comes. Years passed, and their marriage was happy. The sisters have achieved success in their chosen careers.
Today, the 33-year-old sisters work as fifth-grade teachers in a local elementary school. They are loved by their students for their cheerful and optimistic personalities and interesting teaching methods. Although they both acquired different degrees in college, they perform their own duties at work, and the school provides them their respective salaries. However unfair, the sisters still enjoy their current life with a happy marriage.
Every person should learn how to face the obstacles and difficulties in life bravely. The conjoined twins were born unjustly, but they still learned to live their lives the best way they could. They have a great life and a wonderful and lasting marriage.
Images credits: The Daily News
