We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: there has always been something fascinating about conjoined twins. The idea of two souls joined by a single body seems like something out of Greek mythology. But this condition is all too real, and some of the most famous of conjoined twins (Abby and Brittany Hensel) have gone on to become major celebrities and household names.
Because of the more famous conjoined twins, though, it’s easy to lose track of some of the ones who never really pursued fame or fortune. For example, Isabelle and Abby Carlsen were born conjoined back in 2006. They beat the odds and were successfully separated six months after birth. Years later, the twins told their story, and what they had to say kept us on the edge of our seats!
Just what did these twins have to say, and what makes their story so compelling? Keep reading to find out!
Meet Isabelle and Abby Carlsen
Just who are Isabelle and Abby Carlsen? While these women are from North Dakota, they were born in a Minnesota hospital and had to stay there for half a year before leaving. The reason for their extended stay is simple: they were born as conjoined twins, and their successful birth was a miracle. At the time, only one in 100,000 sets of conjoined twins survived to full term, but these twins made it. After that, the hospital staff had to figure out the hard part: how to separate these twins without hurting or killing them.
Fortunately, the hospital pulled off this second miracle, but it took some doing. They discovered that the twins’ organs were twisted together, and Isabelle’s heart was attached to Abby’s chest. Successfully separating these young girls was going to require the best of the best. Fortunately, the hospital was able to assemble 17 surgical specialists, and after extensive training, they were able to separate the twins six months after they were born.
A life of (relative) anonymity
At this point, you might be wondering why you’ve never heard of Isabelle and Abby Carlsen. Simply by being brought to term and then successfully separated, these two have beaten some very incredible odds twice over. Why, then, have you most likely never even heard their names until you clicked on the article?
The short answer is that you don’t know who the Carlsen twins are because they never had their own reality show. For example, the most well-known conjoined twins are Brittany and Abby Hensel, and they are famous for two main reasons: 1) they are still conjoined, so they cannot really blend in with the general public and 2) they appeared on Oprah and made other high-profile media appearances before landing their own reality TV show on TLC. Compared to that, the Carlsens have flown under the radar, but that doesn’t change just how fascinating their story really is.
Each sister is her own woman
As noted before, the Carlsens managed to beat the odds a second time around when they were surgically separated at only six months old. That means they are now more like traditional twins, and that means that they frequently get confused with one another. But a full decade after their surgery, the girls told CBS News that they are surprised anyone has trouble telling them apart.
According to Abby, “Every night we look in the mirror in our room, and we’re like, how do people get us mixed up?” Her father elaborated a bit further by saying “They don’t want to be confused for one another. They’re their own person.” That’s another way these two are like more traditional twins…they hate the idea of being mistaken for one another!
The twins’ parents are eternally grateful
It’s rare to find conjoined twins, and even rarer to find those who have been successfully separated. Because of this, Isabelle and Abby Carlsen get much more of the spotlight than their parents. Nonetheless, it’s important to highlight these parents and the role they played in bringing these girls into the world against all odds.
Their mother, Amy Carlsen, effectively took a real chance on her unborn children when doctors informed her that she would be having conjoined twins. Mathematically speaking, the children only had a 0.00001 percent chance of surviving to full term. Many other women would have considered having an abortion in Amy’s case, but she didn’t, and her children successfully made it to full term and were later successfully separated.
Nobody is more grateful for how things turned out than Amy. As CBS News reports, she has nothing but praise for the doctors at the Mayo Clinic and what they did for her children. “Words can’t express how thankful I am for what they did for our girls,” she said.