Back in 2006, two special identical twin girls came into this world. They spent the first 6 months of their lives together in a hospital, and they were never far apart. Twins are often described as being joined at the hip when they exhibit a close bond, but Isabelle and Abby Carlsen were even closer than that. They were born conjoined from their chest down to their stomach, and quickly made medical history after doctors in Minnesota tried to separate them for good. Although they were physically connected to each other, these two siblings actually made headlines around the world for having been ripped apart.
Isabelle’s heart was tangled up inside Abby’s chest, and the organs in their abdominal cavity were mixed together, too. Separating conjoined twins is always a risky procedure, and the team of surgeons at the Mayo Clinic weren’t surprised when they were faced with tricky jigsaw puzzle during the operation. They knew that their skills, or lack thereof, would have a profound impact on their future. The surgery was a smashing success, but now it’s time to catch up with these two totally unrecognizable siblings and see how they’re living completely separate lives.
HOW THEY LOOK ON THE NEXT PAGE