Who are Abby and Brittany Hensel?

Abby Loraine and Brittany Lee Hensel are famous conjoined twins born in March 1990 in New Germany, Minnesota, USA. They are dicephalic parapagus twins, meaning that they have two heads joined to a single torso. Abby and Brittany each have a spinal cord, pair of lungs, spine, stomach, and heart; each are in control of one arm and one leg.

During their early years, Abby and Brittany had to work together to walk, crawl and clap in a coordinated way. Although they can eat and write separately or simultaneously as they wish, other activities such a driving a car, playing an instrument, or riding a bicycle aren’t so easy. Many news outlets such as “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and “The Learning Channel” followed the twins’ lives when they were younger, and TLC gave them their own reality series – “Abby & Brittany”.

Abby and Brittany have been supported over the years by their parents Patty and Mike Hensel; their mother is a registered nurse, whereas their father is a landscaper and carpenter. They also have two younger siblings who have stayed out of the spotlight. Upon matriculating from Mayer Lutheran High School, the twins began studying at St. Paul’s Bethel University and graduated in 2012.

Mike and Patty decided not to surgically separate the twins, as they had been told by doctors that there was little chance of both surviving the operation. The parents were happy with their decision, arguing that their daughters had better quality of life as conjoined people.

Although Abby and Brittany are well into their 30s by now, dicephalic parapagus twins rarely reach adulthood. However, the tenacious sisters have so far defied all odds and live as normal a life as possible. As teenagers, they both passed their practical and written driver’s license exams separately, as was required by state law. To drive, Abby controls the devices to the right side of the driver’s seat, and Brittany the devices on the left side.

In their college years, the twins decided to major in education, and even thought about pursuing different concentrations. However, they decided against it due to the extra coursework, and both graduated with Bachelor of Arts degrees four years later.

Abby and Brittany have some of their clothes altered by a seamstress who adds separate necklines to their shirts. Normally they eat separate meals, but can also share when it’s more convenient to do so. The twins respond to emails as one, and don’t need much verbal communication between them to do so, as they are exceptionally in tune with each other’s feelings. When they agree on something, they say “I”, using their names when they don’t.

In 2006, Abby and Brittany were interviewed by the Discovery Channel and expressed their desire to date, marry, and have children one day, although they didn’t delve into the dynamics of the hypothetical future relationship. In later years, the twins have faded out of the spotlight somewhat, but news outlets state that they have been teaching since 2013, and are currently working at Sunnyside Elementary in New Brighton, Minnesota.

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Conjoined Twins

Also referred to as Siamese twins, conjoined twins are those joined in utero. The rare phenomenon can be observed from as few as 1 in 189,000 births, although the incidence is higher in Africa and Southwest Asia. Interestingly, most live births of conjoined twins are female; approximately half of the total births are stillborn, and one-third die within 24 hours.

There are two theories behind the origins of conjoined twins, with fission – in which the fertilized egg splits partially – being the most widely accepted. The second theory, fusion, claims that the fertilized egg separates but stem cells find similar cells on the other twin, thus fusing them together. Conjoined twins share the same placenta, chorion, and amniotic sac in utero.

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Some famous conjoined twins include Chang and Eng Bunker, who were born in 1811 in Thailand, travelled the world for many years, and were named The Siamese Twins, thus coining the popular phrase. The brothers were joined at the torso and had fused livers, meaning that in modern times they could easily have been separated.

Chang and Eng died of natural causes in 1874, when there still wasn’t much available information about their condition, as it was considered a rarity. Prior to their deaths, they toured the world as entertainers, settled in North Carolina, and had over 20 children with two sisters they married.

The most common types of conjoined twins are thoraco-omphalopagus twins, who make up 28% of cases. These twins have two bodies which are fused from the upper chest to the lower chest; they typically share a heart and may also share part of the digestive system or liver. The rarest include syncephalus twins, which have one head and a single face but two bodies and four ears, and rachipagus twins, which are joined along the back of their bodies. There are also very few confirmed cases of conjoined triplets, as they have an extremely low survival rate.

Separation

Depending on the point of attachment and shared internal parts, separating conjoined twins ranges from easy to extremely difficult. In most cases, surgical separation is risky and life-threatening and can result in the death of one or both of the twins, especially if they share a vital organ or are joined at the head. Due to the risks involved, the ethics of surgical separation are a bone of contention in the medical world. A study by Alice Dreger of Northwestern University found that conjoined twins who do not separate enjoy a higher quality of life than is commonly supposed, which has been the case for Abby and Brittany.

The first case of conjoined twins being separated was recorded in the 10^th century, and occurred in the Byzantine Empire. One of the twins had already died, and the town’s doctors attempted to separate it from its surviving twin. Although the surviving twin died just three days after the separation, the surgery was considered successful for its time, and proved that separation could be done.

Several centuries later, the second case of separating conjoined twins was recorded in 17^th-century Germany. The operation was performed by Johannes Fatio and was the first one of its kind to be successful. Three decades later, the famous neurosurgeon Harold Voris and his team at Chicago’s Mercy Hospital successfully separated craniopagus twins who were conjoined at the head. Although both twins survived the operation, one of them was permanently impaired, while the twin developed as normal.

Bertram Katz and his team made history in 1957 by successfully separating for the first time, conjoined twins who shared a vital organ. The twins in question were omphalopagus twins John and James Freeman – Johnny and Jimmy – and were one year old at the time of the operation. Despite sharing a liver, the boys had separate hearts and were successfully separated by Bertram at Youngstown, Ohio’s North Side Hospital. As the family couldn’t pay for the operation, it was funded by the Ohio Crippled Children’s Service Society.

Yet another landmark operation took place in Singapore in 2001. The craniopagus twins Ganga and Jamuna Shreshta, were born in Nepal in 2000. Neurosurgeons Keith Goh and Chumpon Chan led the team operating on the girls; sadly, Ganga suffered brain damage as a result of the operation, and Jamuna was unable to walk. Although Jamuna is believed to be alive, Ganga died seven years later after a severe chest infection.

The controversial case of Rose and Grace Attard, conjoined twins born in Malta, was also a hot topic of discussion in 2000. The twins, who were attached at the spine and lower abdomen, were separated by a court order despite their parents’ religious objections. The surgery was carried out at St Mary’s Hospital in Manchester, Rngland in November 2000 and was so controversial because the weaker twin, Rose, would die after the procedure, as her lungs and heart depended on Grace’s. The death of Rose was, however, considered necessary from a medical standpoint, because if the operation hadn’t taken place, both twins would’ve died.

Famous Conjoined Twins

Although Abby and Brittany are the most famous conjoined twins in the world, Lori and George Schappell are also well-known thanks to their unique lifestyles. Lori and George – originally named Dori – were born in Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania in September 1961 and are craniopagus twins who share 30% of their brain matter.

Lori and Dori grew up in an institution in their home state, and were released in their 20s. Disliking the fact that their names rhymed, Dori began going by the name Reba, paying homage to his favorite singer Reba McEntire. In 2006, he was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; a year later, he permanently changed his name to George and declared that he identified as male.

George began singing after changing his name to Reba, and even won an L.A Music Award for Best New Country Artist in 1997. Some of the countries where he’s performed include Japan and Germany, and he also sang “Fear of Being Alone” on the soundtrack of “Stuck on You”, a fictitious comedy film about conjoined twins. George is clearly the more dominant twin, as Lori must arrange her job around his singing commitments, and has even paid to attend his concerts. While George is performing, Lori makes herself as “invisible” as possible so as not to distract from his performance.

Jerry Springer * Lori & Dori * twins conjoined at the head sing us a song https://t.co/IO1KY8gd4X

— The Bonfire (@TheBonfireSXM) August 26, 2021

The twins have also given interviews on various talk shows and appeared in documentaries, making their TV debut in an episode of “Jerry Springer”. In September 1997, they appeared in “The Unexplained: The Twin Connection”, and a year later, they starred in their own documentary named “Face to Face: The Schappell Twins”. Lori and George also put their acting skills to the test in an episode of “Nip/Tuck”, in which they portrayed conjoined twins named Raven and Rose Rosenberg.

Lori and George manage to lead somewhat independent lives in their two-bedroom apartment, with both having their private space. They believe in respecting each other’s privacy when it comes to relationships, work, and recreation. Lori has been in several relationships, and was engaged, but tragically lost her fiancé in a motorbike accident. Meanwhile, George has designed a mobility aid for dogs, a specialized wheelchair, and more support equipment for those who suffer from physical disabilities. Their last media appearance came in 2007, with the TV documentary “Inside Extraordinary Humans: Science of Conjoined Twins”.

Ronnie and Donnie Galyon hold the record for the longest-lived conjoined twins in history, having surpassed Chang and Eng Bunker. In 2009, they were also declared the oldest conjoined twins in the world by the Guinness World Records. Ronnie and Donnie were born in October 1951 in Dayton, Ohio, and passed away in July 2020.

Ronnie and Donnie’s mother, Eileen, wasn’t even expecting twins. The brothers shared organs and were joined from the sternum to the groin; after staying at St. Elizabeth Hospital for two years, doctors determined that there was no safe way to separate them. As the twins were considered a distraction by local schools, the brothers received no formal education, and were functionally illiterate for their whole lives. It’s also been said that Eileen abandoned the boys, and left them to the care of their father, Wesley.

As Wesley had nine children to feed and clothe, he took the twins on the road and advertised them as a sideshow attraction. Ronnie and Donnie were exhibited in sideshows in Latin America and the States, becoming celebrities and supporting their large family with their income. After three decades in the entertainment industry, the brothers retired in 1991 and moved into their first independent home, which they purchased with their earnings. Thanks to a custom double wheelchair, they could lead relatively normal lives, and be active in their community.

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Despite retiring from showbiz, Ronnie and Donnie frequently appeared in TV documentaries, and also discussed their life experiences in an episode of “The Jerry Springer Show”. In 2009, the twins’ health took a turn for the worst when Ronnie developed a life-threatening lung infection. They were hospitalized, and required round-the-clock care when they returned home. The local community rallied around the duo, donating money and building a special addition to their younger brother Jim’s home, so that he could take care of them with help from his wife Mary.

“The World’s Oldest Conjoined Twins Move Home” premiered on TLC in December 2010, and documented Ronnie and Donnie’s recovery, their return to the community, and the building process to make Jim’s home handicap accessible. Ten years later, the twins died of congestive heart failure, surrounded by their nearest and dearest, and having spent the last few weeks of their lives in a hospice.

“The Family Chantel”

The TLC reality show “The Family Chantel” follows the lives of “90 Day Fiancé” alum Chantel Everett, her husband Pedro Jimeno, and their nearest and dearest. Common themes in the show include inter-cultural marriage – Chantel is African-American, whereas Pedro is Dominican – and family drama.

“The Family Chantel” is known for being the first “90 Day Fiancé” spin-off to feature an individual couple instead of large groups. The show premiered in July 2019, and has been running for four seasons and counting.

As “90 Day Fiancé” fans may know, Chantel and Pedro fell in love when the bubbly TV personality visited the Dominican Republic to meet her then-online boyfriend. Following a secret engagement, Pedro obtained a K-1 visa and travelled to Atlanta, Georgia, where he and Chantel currently reside. Season four of “90 Day Fiancé” largely focused on Chantel and Pedro’s love story; the couple would later appear in “Happily Ever After?” before being given their own show.

The stars of the show are Pedro, Chantel, and Karen, Thomas, Riverknight, and Winter Everett. Lydia Morel and Nicole Jimeno, Pedro’s mother and sister, also make appearances in the series.

Chantel & Pedro

Chantel Everett is the protagonist of “The Family Chantel”, as almost all the storylines on the show revolve around her life and drama. Born in February 1991, and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Chantel is mixed-race and was brought up by her parents, Thomas and Karen Everett. The model and reality TV star has over a million followers across various social media platforms and uses her online fame to garner lucrative sponsorship deals and promote products such as detox teas and nurse scrubs.

Chantel and Pedro married in July 2019 in an intimate ceremony attended by their nearest and dearest. Some of her favorite hobbies include travelling, fashion and photography, and her Instagram feed is full of glamorous photoshoots and small sneak peeks into her life. Chantel is also no stranger to putting in long hours at the gym to maintain her toned physique, and has a close-knit group of female friends who frequently feature in her snaps.

The Atlanta native is also known to post the odd risqué photograph, which has led to rumors of trouble in paradise between herself and Pedro. In the past, the troubled couple have also gone without posting each other on social media for months at a time, and they don’t share much about their relationship when the cameras stop filming. This way, fans of Chantel and Pedro must tune in to “The Family Chantel” to really find out what’s going on in their lives.

In July 2022, the famous husband and wife duo shocked fans by confirming that they had separated and were filing for divorce. The sensational announcement came right on the heels of the fourth-season premiere of “The Family Chantel”, leading some sceptics to think that it was all a publicity stunt. As of December 2022, Chantel and Pedro are still legally married.

Chantel’s husband, Pedro Jimeno, is an ambitious character who obtained his real estate license and became a social media influencer, while juggling his turbulent love life and family drama. The latest seasons of “The Family Chantel” showed a different – and somewhat disappointing – side to Pedro, as he threw himself into work and began ignoring Chantel.

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Despite his wife juggling a nursing job with filming commitments and doing all the housework, Pedro called Chantel lazy on various occasions and refused to spend time with her unless it was strictly necessary. After navigating various rough patches in three to four years of being together, viewers hoped that Pedro’s behavior would be the last straw for Chantel, and a much-needed push to realize her worth and walk away from the failing marriage.

However, Pedro was the one to file for divorce in late May – on the same day, he and Chantel filed restraining orders against each other. Chantel accused Pedro of infidelity and domestic abuse, while Pedro claimed that Chantel was draining the couple’s shared bank account. Five days prior to their formal separation in late April, Chantel withdrew $257,000 from her and Pedro’s account and moved it to a joint account that she shares with her sister Winter.

There are many possible reasons behind Chantel and Pedro’s shock divorce proceedings. It’s no secret that their families have never been on good terms – during a family trip in 2021, Lidia and Nicole got into a major confrontation with Chantel, Winter, and Karen. Drinks and glasses were thrown and plenty of ugly words were exchanged, placing even more strain on Chantel and Pedro’s marriage.

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In one of the latest episodes of “The Family Chantel”, Chantel and Pedro had a sit-down dinner with a lawyer named Lidia mediating. The Atlanta native mentioned that Pedro was spending a suspicious amount of time with his female co-workers, and even named one of them. Not much is known about the co-worker in question, Antonella Barrenechea, but it looks like Pedro may have pursued an extramarital affair with her.

Pedro denied having an inappropriate relationship with Antonella, who is married and has a young child, and also accused Chantel of not supporting his dreams. Viewers of “The Family Chantel” are aware that Pedro had recently left his unambitious warehouse job to pursue a real estate career; at the same time, Chantel had graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing, and the couple had also purchased a house. Rather than becoming closer after achieving all those accomplishments, Pedro and Chantel’s relationship was on a downwards spiral, and Lidia had to walk out of the dinner when she saw that neither party was willing to compromise.

In the last few months, the once-happy couple have posted plenty of cryptic messages on Instagram while making it clear that there’s virtually no chance of them reconciliating. For now, the future of “The Family Chantel” is up in the air, although some viewers think that season five will focus on the divorce proceedings.

Royal & Angenette

Royal and Angenette may not be as relevant as Chantel and Pedro, but they were also a prominent part of “The Family Chantel” during its second season. When Angenette was introduced to the Everetts, they were still coming to terms with Pedro’s new role in the family, so Chantel and Karen were especially suspicious of the quiet Filipina native. To make things worse, Royal complained to his family about Angenette, and Chantel and Karen were later accused of upstaging Angenette at her own wedding.

Fans expected to see Royal and Angenette in the show’s third season, given that the season two finale documented their tense and very awkward wedding, but they were surprisingly absent. As it happens, Royal and Angenette made a mutual decision to stop appearing in the show, as the media attention was becoming too much for them, and they didn’t want thousands of strangers weighing in on relationship.

While away from the cameras, the couple started their own family. In December 2021, Angenette gave birth to Royal Jr., the couple’s only son for the time being. Royal hasn’t fully mended the rift with his family, as he doesn’t spend as much time with his parents as the rest of the second-generation Everetts. The couple have, however, been pictured at family events with Karen, Chantel, and the rest of the gang.

Many netizens believe that Angenette and Royal made the right decision by shying away from the limelight. The Filipina native was just 23 years old when she was proposed to by Chantel’s brother, who was 32 years old and visiting her home country for the first time. The couple immediately filed for a K-1 visa so Angenette could legally enter the US; instead of waiting three months to tie the knot, they married a mere week after her arrival.

The couple met on Facebook when Royal was living and studying in Texas, and according to him, Angenette made the first move by sending him a friend request. This immediately made Chantel and Karen suspicious of Angenette, as they questioned her motives for wanting to be with Royal.

It turns out that Chantel and Karen weren’t the only ones who had reservations about the relationship: during a girls’ night out at the club, Royal showed up unannounced and told Angenette to come home, insisting that she’d drunk too much. The next day, Chantel revealed that Royal had told her that he didn’t trust Angenette. Royal also said that before they started officially dating, Angenette had been chatting to other American guys online. Angenette denied the claims, but the damage had been done, as the Everetts found it hard to trust her.

During a group outing to buy Angenette’s second wedding dress, Chantel asked her future sister-in-law why she thought Royal didn’t trust her. In the same episode, Angenette broke down during a confessional and confessed to having had a miscarriage. She said: “We found out that maybe I am two weeks pregnant. And then he doubted it. He said that maybe I hook up with another guy in the Philippines before I went here.”

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Mere days before the couple’s second nuptials in the Philippines, tensions reached boiling point during a disastrous night out when Angenette and her friends confronted Royal and asked if he really doubted that she had been pregnant with his baby. Royal denied the claims and eventually left the bar with his family, but not before almost getting into a physical altercation with one of the show’s producers who was trying to film the incident.

All of these incidents point to serious trust issues between Royal and Angenette which were probably amplified by the TV cameras, which is why walking away from the show was the best decision for both of them. Although the couple aren’t very active on social media, we can confirm that they are still together as of December 2022.

Other Cast Members

Karen is the Everett matriarch, and often described as the funniest member of the family. Apart from being an author, public speaker, TV personality, and mother of four, the glamorous brunette has over 130,000 social media followers and is constantly looking for ways to build her online brand. With that said, she has often been criticized for interfering in her children’s relationships, and not respecting personal boundaries.

After seeing how Karen treated Pedro before he married Chantel, viewers began calling the Atlanta native “the mother-in-law from hell” – and it goes without saying that she made things just as difficult for Angenette, her son Royal’s wife. In season three of “The Family Chantel”, Karen surprised many by rallying behind Pedro when he was dealing with family issues, but went back to her old ways soon enough.

Karen and her husband Thomas’s jobs are a mystery to the general public. Despite listing themselves as business owners, they never mention what exactly they do to earn money, apart from sponsoring brands on social media from time to time. Similarly, we don’t know how they met, when they celebrate their birthdays, or other important details about their lives; in fact, it appears that Karen and Thomas are happy to let their daughter have the limelight.

Winter Everett Shares Weight Loss Tips With Curious The Family Chantel Instagram Fans https://t.co/Vmnh09lVxs #TheFamilyChantel #WinterEverett #TLC

— The Overtimer (@TheOvertimer) November 17, 2022

Winter Everett is Chantel’s sister, and much more of an open book despite being a newcomer to the TV industry. She is a fan favorite on the show, and has gained a large social media following thanks to having a much warmer and friendlier personality than her mother and sister. Winter is also known for her weight loss journey, as she’s been struggling with obesity for the better part of her adult life. Helped by a strict diet and weight loss routine, Winter has been working on her self-esteem issues, and hopes to inspire others to take similar steps.

Last but not least is River Everett, the baby of the family who was born in July 1997. The curly-haired TV personality has used the Everett clan’s online fame to push his music career, and has released a couple of singles to date. River, who has almost 1,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, enjoys working out at the gym and travelling; it’s unclear if there’s a special someone in his life, but if there is, he’s clearly keeping it a secret for now.