Activities such as running, swimming, hair-brushing, playing piano or volleyball, riding a bicycle, or driving a car require coordination.
[1][4] The twins were born in Carver County, Minnesota, to Patty, a registered nurse, and Mike Hensel, a carpenter and landscaper.
[5] The twins have a single body with separate heads and necks, a chest that is wider than average, two arms, and two legs.
[6] At age 12, they underwent surgery at Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare to correct scoliosis and to expand their chest cavity to prevent breathing trouble.
The sense of touch of each is restricted to her body half; this shades off at the midsagittal plane, so that there is a small amount of overlap at the midline.
[6] The twins have individual organs in the upper part of their body, while most of those at and below the navel are shared, the exception being the spinal cord.
[7][10] Upon their birth, the twins' parents decided not to attempt surgical separation after hearing from doctors that it was unlikely that both would survive the operation.
[12] The Hensel sisters did and both graduated from high school in 2008 and began college at Bethel University in Arden Hills, Minnesota, majoring in education.
During the same month, they were featured on the cover of Life under the caption "One Body, Two Souls", and their daily lifestyle was described in the article, "The Hensels' Summer".
[11] The twins starred in the TLC reality TV show Abby & Brittany that was shown in the US from August to October 2012.
[2] It was shown by the BBC in the UK in April and May 2013 and covers the period from their finishing college to starting a part-time teaching job.