Have you ever seen conjoined twins?
By Marie Coyle
@MarieCoyle (51793)
December 4, 2025 5:20pm CST
In ''real life'' I mean, not just television or the news.
Some years back, I was at O'Hare airport in Chicago, traveling with my daughter to a funeral of a family member. Our flight was delayed due to excessive winds, and it was a long wait. At one point, there was a commotion and an undercurrent of noise, as there had formed a rather large group of people that partially blocked the area. Security guards were attempting to herd the extra people out of the way. I just assumed that whatever the fuss was about, it was probably a celebrity and people were fawning and oohing and ahhing over whoever it was, and I truly wasn't interested.
The crowd was cleared fairly quickly, we were still sitting waiting for our flight to be called. Emerging from the crowd, escorted by security, were the Hensel twins. They are from Minnesota, and are now elementary teachers--of course, together, as they are conjoined twins. Of course, they attract attention wherever they go, and of course, they have no desire for the attention, either.
We have all seen pictures and heard stories of conjoined twins. It truly hit home as I watched them--yes, this is all they have ever known, but to think they cannot be separated, as at least one would not survive. And how ''one'' twin can marry and not the other, when they share a body? I don't get that part. I mean, they are both there. They are always going to be there. They share everything, and I do mean everything.
Abby and Brittany Hensel were on television for a while as children, with their parents and family. It did put some insight on how they worked together, etc. One controls each side of the body. They are in sync with each other, they can ride a bike, walk, play baseball, by each one controlling her side of the body and working together. I think that's fascinating.
Abby got married. Of course, Brittany was there...no choice but she was smiling. I realize they are recognized as two different people, but I don't understand the marriage thing, especially when they share certain body parts...I mean, they are both there, ya know? Now the news is, Abby had a baby. But they share a husband even though only Abby claims him, and obviously they both had the baby.
I know they deserve to be happy, they have hearts and minds, and life wishes like the rest of us do. I just think it would be hard to do this, yet it is all they have ever known.
After my initial look at them that day, I looked away. I mean...who would want to be stared at all the time. I felt badly for them, people were madly clicking phone pictures of them...and there's not much escape in a busy airport.
I think they are no doubt doing the best they can to function and live their lives, but it surely isn't easy.
Pinterest picture.
13 people like this
13 responses
@marguicha (229535)
• Chile
8h
I think that this is the worst that can happen to anyone.
Two different people with one body is terrible.
Two different people with one body is terrible.2 people like this
@MarieCoyle (51793)
•
8h
It would be very difficult. I can’t imagine how they manage but they do.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (51793)
•
6h
@marguicha
Well, I can understand that feeling, sure. But being two people in one body (they share one body, and have two heads/brains, etc.) is all they have ever known. They see us, but they have always had to be cemented together and they learned to function together. I cannot even imagine how but they did it.
@noni1959 (11361)
• United States
12h
I read that was not her baby. She was babysitting but the news and rumors took off. The tiktok account was fake playing as them too. Her husband said they don't have a tiktok. Josh and Abby are raising his daughter from a prior marriage. It's normal to be curious but those women deserve some privacy. Can you imagine having to get security just to go somewhere? Or people asking how they diddle or other? It would be so hard to be gawked at all the time. I love they are teachers and the children treat them like any other teacher.
1 person likes this
@noni1959 (11361)
• United States
9h
@MarieCoyle Me too. AI has always been with us but not at this level. Too many people fall for the ones that are fraud. It's awful.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (51793)
•
11h
Yes, I read it was fake and then I read it was real. We probably won't ever hear which is true until much later. So much news is fake anymore, it's all so impossible to try to sort out!
I agree, they need some privacy. I imagine they often feel like a sideshow at a circus. I have to admire them for moving forward with their lives, going to college and teaching school. That takes courage every day for them.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (51793)
•
11h
@noni1959
I hate AI with a passion. It's just too hard to tell what's real, especially with the pictures.
3 people like this
@celticeagle (182692)
• Boise, Idaho
12h
Yes, I posted about them a few months ago. I have been watching them in social media for quite a while. I'm glad they are happy and still healthy and doing well in their lives.
I wonder what their lives are like with crowds of curious people and how rude some can be. I feel badly for them too. By now they are probably used to but still....!?!?
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (51793)
•
11h
I must not have seen your post, my apologies. I miss things at times when I am not here as often.
It would be impossible to ignore the staring people and to try to just do everyday things. It has to be hard.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (182692)
• Boise, Idaho
10h
@MarieCoyle ......I completely understand. Yes, it would be hard to live their lives.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (51793)
•
8h
My youngest was a twin but I miscarried her. I have a lot of twins in my family, thankfully none are conjoined twins.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (51793)
•
7h
I just cannot even imagine how they manage, but then they have never known any other way to live. Supposedly, their parents were told at their birth that they more than likely would not survive the surgery to be separated, so it was never attempted. I can understand that. But still, it had to be hard on their family as well as hard for them to learn to navigate in a world not adapted for them.
1 person likes this
@LooeyVille (43)
• United States
6h
I can't even begin to imagine their complicated life.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (51793)
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5h
Birth defects are so often terrible, but this would be very hard. There is nothing wrong with their minds, they are productive and active...but connected forever.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (51793)
•
8h
Evidythey don’t want to hibernate, I have to admire them for wanting to just live their lives the best way they possibly can.
@rsa101 (40524)
• Philippines
7h
You described it very thoughtfully, and I think a balanced view is exactly what this topic needs.
Seeing the Hensel twins in person would make most people stop and think — not out of judgment, but because it makes you realize how complex and unique their lives must be. They didn’t choose their situation, yet they’ve built a life, a career, and relationships that work for *them*. That alone takes incredible strength and cooperation.
As for the marriage and the baby, it’s understandable to feel puzzled. Their situation doesn’t fit neatly into the categories we’re used to, so our minds naturally go, *“How does that work?”* But at the end of the day, the people closest to them — doctors, legal authorities, and the twins themselves — have clearly worked out what is ethical, consensual, and emotionally workable for *their* lives. What matters most is that both women feel respected, safe, and supported in whatever choices they make.
And you were right not to stare. They deal with attention everywhere they go, wanted or not, and choosing to look away once you realized what was happening was a quiet act of respect. Not everyone in that airport did the same, unfortunately.
Their story is complicated, yes — but also a reminder of how differently life can unfold, and how people can still carve out happiness in ways the rest of us may not fully understand.
@MarieCoyle (51793)
•
11h
I have always thought it would be difficult to be famous and attract crowds, but in their case it's people gawping at them wherever they go. I just can't imagine how that makes them feel.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (199577)
• United States
11h
I am sure they are adapted to, but it can't be easy being treated like a freak show wherever you go when they just want a normal life.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (51793)
•
10h
That's the worst, as you say--being treated like a freak show. It would have to be hard to ignore that.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (51793)
•
8h
Yes, they identify as two separate people. They both had to take a driver’s test, and they both had to pass tests for their teachers license.
@wolfgirl569 (125887)
• Marion, Ohio
11h
I never have but they have done great at making a life for themselves
1 person likes this
