I found this documentary absolutely fascinating. Its title 'Joined for Life' inevitably reminds me of 'Chained for Life', the notorious road-house film starring conjoined sisters (so-called 'siamese' twins) Daisy and Violet Hilton. But the Hilton sisters were two complete twins who shared no major organs; modern surgical techniques could easily have separated them.
'Joined for Life' is the story of another pair of conjoined sisters: Abigail and Brittany Hensel. But the Hensel twins are a much more unusual case. From the waist downwards, they share a single body. Moving upwards, the torso gradually diverges into two separate structures ... never diverging entirely until the shoulders. There is one normal arm either side of the body. (A third, vestigial arm was surgically removed.) Effectively, Abigail and Brittany are a two-headed girl: one body with two heads. But, as Brittany (the one on the right, when they face the camera) is quick to note: 'I don't have two heads!'
The girls' mutual torso contains (mostly) one set of everything, as if they were indeed only one girl. But some bones and organs are extras: they have more than two kidneys. The upper half of the torso is much broader and wider than is normal for a girl: at least once during the years before their puberty, surgeons widened the girls' torso to provide room for the growing organs. The twins also have scoliosis in their mutual spine; a spine which branches out as it ascends to separate atlas vertebrae. The Hensel girls' parents buy their lower garments normally, but the upper halves of their outfits must be specially made.
In this documentary, made in 2003, the twins are 11 years old. (One can't help wondering what challenges they'll face as puberty arrives.) In every way except the single most obvious one, these are normal American girls. One wants to be a dentist, the other an airline pilot. They wear orthodontic braces. They hold a slumber party for some of their schoolmates. (I found this sequence a bit too intrusive ... but, in case any voyeurs are reading this, the sequence is in fact quite innocent.) The Hensel twins have younger siblings, physically normal.
Impressively, the Hensels' entire community have united to protect their privacy. The girls are sometimes brought to meet the press, but only in situations of their own choosing. Journalists are unable to doorstep them, because the Hensel family's address remains a secret. Unfortunately, as they travel farther from home there is less sympathy. The Hensel twins' mother bitterly recalls an incident at a public swimming pool when a woman demanded to know "How'd you stick those two girls together like that?". When told they were born that way, the woman insisted: "No, really: How'd you stick those two girls together like that?".
There are many historic cases of dicephalus conjoined twins, but usually such pairs have been unable to walk with their shared legs. Thanks to advances in physical therapy, the Hensel sisters can walk, run and swim, each controlling the leg on her side.
In 'Joined for Life', we see the girls taking piano lessons ... effectively playing a duet, as each girl controls one hand. We see them actively involved in team sports, including basketball, volleyball and softball. (Wot, no double-headers?) Wearing two batting helmets, the girls bat right-handed and run the bases normally.
These are two bright, eager, intelligent and pretty girls with a good chance of long full active lives ahead of them. (One wonders if they'll be able to marry separate husbands.) It's unfortunate that their heads aren't on an even plane: Abigail's head is upright, but Brittany's head droops to her left.
This is a fascinating documentary that handles its theme tastefully and with dignity. If you're looking for a freak show, look elsewhere. I'll rate 'Joined for Life' 9 out of 10. Good luck, Abby and Britty!
'Joined for Life' is the story of another pair of conjoined sisters: Abigail and Brittany Hensel. But the Hensel twins are a much more unusual case. From the waist downwards, they share a single body. Moving upwards, the torso gradually diverges into two separate structures ... never diverging entirely until the shoulders. There is one normal arm either side of the body. (A third, vestigial arm was surgically removed.) Effectively, Abigail and Brittany are a two-headed girl: one body with two heads. But, as Brittany (the one on the right, when they face the camera) is quick to note: 'I don't have two heads!'
The girls' mutual torso contains (mostly) one set of everything, as if they were indeed only one girl. But some bones and organs are extras: they have more than two kidneys. The upper half of the torso is much broader and wider than is normal for a girl: at least once during the years before their puberty, surgeons widened the girls' torso to provide room for the growing organs. The twins also have scoliosis in their mutual spine; a spine which branches out as it ascends to separate atlas vertebrae. The Hensel girls' parents buy their lower garments normally, but the upper halves of their outfits must be specially made.
In this documentary, made in 2003, the twins are 11 years old. (One can't help wondering what challenges they'll face as puberty arrives.) In every way except the single most obvious one, these are normal American girls. One wants to be a dentist, the other an airline pilot. They wear orthodontic braces. They hold a slumber party for some of their schoolmates. (I found this sequence a bit too intrusive ... but, in case any voyeurs are reading this, the sequence is in fact quite innocent.) The Hensel twins have younger siblings, physically normal.
Impressively, the Hensels' entire community have united to protect their privacy. The girls are sometimes brought to meet the press, but only in situations of their own choosing. Journalists are unable to doorstep them, because the Hensel family's address remains a secret. Unfortunately, as they travel farther from home there is less sympathy. The Hensel twins' mother bitterly recalls an incident at a public swimming pool when a woman demanded to know "How'd you stick those two girls together like that?". When told they were born that way, the woman insisted: "No, really: How'd you stick those two girls together like that?".
There are many historic cases of dicephalus conjoined twins, but usually such pairs have been unable to walk with their shared legs. Thanks to advances in physical therapy, the Hensel sisters can walk, run and swim, each controlling the leg on her side.
In 'Joined for Life', we see the girls taking piano lessons ... effectively playing a duet, as each girl controls one hand. We see them actively involved in team sports, including basketball, volleyball and softball. (Wot, no double-headers?) Wearing two batting helmets, the girls bat right-handed and run the bases normally.
These are two bright, eager, intelligent and pretty girls with a good chance of long full active lives ahead of them. (One wonders if they'll be able to marry separate husbands.) It's unfortunate that their heads aren't on an even plane: Abigail's head is upright, but Brittany's head droops to her left.
This is a fascinating documentary that handles its theme tastefully and with dignity. If you're looking for a freak show, look elsewhere. I'll rate 'Joined for Life' 9 out of 10. Good luck, Abby and Britty!
