New details have emerged surrounding the wedding of conjoined twin Abby Hensel to her new husband.
Abby, known for her remarkable life journey alongside her conjoined twin sister Brittany, first captured the nation's attention with their story on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1996.
Abby and Brittany were born as dicephalus conjoined twins, fused at the torso, and continue to share vital organs and bloodstream into adulthood. Abby commands their right arm and leg, while Brittany controls the left.
According to the Journal of Pediatric Surgery, dicephalus conjoined twins are typically stillborn due to cardiopulmonary malformations, with only a few cases surviving into adulthood. Despite the odds, the Hensel sisters, now 34, have defied expectations, pursuing education, and earning separate degrees.
Their extraordinary lives were further showcased in the TLC reality series Abby & Brittany, chronicling their journey through college graduation and European travels.
After the curtains closed on their reality stint a decade ago, public records revealed that Abby, now 34, exchanged vows with Josh Bowling, a nurse and United States Army veteran, in 2021.
Abby tied the knot without her twin, Brittany, as a witness; instead, their sister Morgan and another guest fulfilled the role.
Documents obtained by The Mirror confirm that the wedding took place at the Jerome Event Center in Delano, MN, officiated by Rev. Sid A. Veenstra on November 13, 2021. Abby, now Abby Bowling, enters into marriage amid some dramatic developments from Josh's past.
In 2023, Josh found himself embroiled in a paternity lawsuit filed by his ex-wife, Annica Bowling, just two years after marrying Abby.
PEOPLE obtained documents revealing that Annica filed the suit against Josh and another man, Gavin Vatnsdal, pertaining to the paternity of Annica's youngest daughter, born in 2020, a year after her separation from Josh.
Despite the looming court hearing regarding the paternity case on April 19, the newlyweds remain undeterred.
Despite their earlier media exposure, Abby and Brittany have maintained privacy regarding their personal lives and have kept a low profile for over a decade. Both dedicated themselves to teaching at an elementary school in Minnesota.
"The whole world doesn't need to know who we're dating," Brittany said in the 2006 documentary Joined for Life: Abby & Brittany Turn 16, as reported by E! News. "Or what we're gonna do and everything."
In the documentary, the twins expressed aspirations for motherhood, signifying a future filled with possibilities.
Reflecting on their unique bond, Abby once shared: "We never wish we were separated because we would never be able to do all the things that we do now, like play softball, run, and do sports."
Reflecting on their journey, Mike Hensel, the twins' father, revealed their decision against separation surgery in 1990, citing the slim chances of both surviving the procedure.
"How could you pick between the two?" he said in a 2001 interview with TIME.
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