Isabelle and Abby Carlsen were born in Minnesota in 2006.

They were conjoined twins because they were physically joined at the chest and abdomen.
Even before the girls were born, their parents realized they wouldn’t be having typical twins.

Because the children’s condition was so unusual, medical professionals looked for a way to safely separate them. Locals and visitors alike were drawn to the infants almost immediately.
Amy and Jesse, the parents, were questioned numerous times, which made it difficult for them.

It was especially difficult to separate the twins because Isabella’s heart was in Abby’s chest and many of the girls’ internal organs were shared or entwined.

As a result, the parents had a difficult time deciding whether to proceed with the surgery.

The Carlsens spent almost six months in consultation with medical professionals
before deciding on a course of action for the surgery.

The Mayo Clinic is the site of the surgery. For 12 hours, 17 surgeons worked together to fix people.
They were able to successfully split apart the females, but it took another six months before they were allowed to go free.

One of the doctors later admitted that dividing the liver in half was the most difficult part.
It’s a miracle that both girls survived the procedure unscathed.

When they were 10 years old, the twins agreed to an interview with a television station and shared some details about their lives.
They were both fourth graders in North Dakota at the time, and they were both involved in gymnastics.

The sisters had very different interests and passions as they grew older, but they remained the best of friends.

Even though they are twins, Abby can’t imagine how anyone could confuse them.
Abby and Isabelle are now living with a loving family and are thriving emotionally and intellectually.

The girls find it difficult to accept that images of them as infants show them as conjoined twins.