A pair of conjoined twins who share a brain and a skull can never be separated. They have learned to walk and talk with one another.
When Tatiana and Krista Hogan were born, their parents were warned to not expect the twins to survive the day. The girls’ brains are interwoven, which enables them to see through each other’s eyes and share emotions; for example, if one is tickled, the other feels it too. However, they do have their independent thoughts and control of their limbs.
However, the twins, who are now seven and live in Vernon, British Columbia, have continued to defy expectations and now enjoy similar lives as any other seven-year-old.
According to the twins’ mother, Felicia Hogan, the girls adore going to school, watching Power Rangers and eating cake.
She says that they are always happy. Felicia and Brendan, the girls’ father, say that the girls bring them so much joy, along with their siblings, Rosa, 11, Christopher, 9 and Shayleigh, 5.
“Seeing everything I have to go through with them would make your head spin,” said Mrs Hogan. “It’s hard but I wouldn’t change it. In my next lifetime, if I could choose this life, I would choose it.”
Mr and Mrs Hogan were given the news that their babies were joined at the head while she was pregnant however ‘abortion was not an option’ for her. Instead, the girls have been constantly monitored since birth.
The girls weren't expected to survive the day when they were born. (AP File Photo)
The girls also have different personalities.
“Over the years Tatiana has become the prominent leader. Krista is quieter and can be more in her own shell,” says Mrs Hogan.
Dr Douglas Cochrane, a neurosurgeon who has been treating the girls as they’ve been growing up, admitted, “They have amazed me – how they are the same but how they are different, how they are dealing with an error of nature to live healthy lives.”
Mrs Hogan says, “We tell them, ‘You two have to spend the rest of your lives together in this world, you need to cooperate and be nice to each other.’ They still have moments where they can fight and get angry and frustrated with each other and those fights can get violent.”
“People always ask when will they be separated but they won’t be. They have too much wiring going to each other for them ever to be separated.”
According to Daily Mail, the girls have learned how to live together and their parents don’t let their ‘situation’ hold them back.
They can be affectionate with each other and they can also squabble.
“We never tell them they can’t do something. They have to try it,” says Mrs Hogan.
“I still see people look at them like they are freaks, like they shouldn’t be here. People need to see these little girls are amazing for who they are.”
The girls are scheduled to appear in a documentary, which their mother says will help people see beyond their appearance and see how happy the little girls are.
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