They were never expected to survive beyond a few days.
But conjoined twins Abigail and Brittany Hensel have not only proved doctors wrong, they have astonished them with their development into darling children, typical teenagers and, lately, beautiful young adults.
Now the 22-year-olds, who share one body fused at the torso, will be starring in their own reality TV show chronicling their graduation from Bethel University in Minnesota, their post-grad job search and their travels through Europe with friends.
The girls first captivated the world in 1996 when they appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and the cover of Life Magazine.
Since then they have lived a quiet, normal life with their family in Minnesota, keeping away from the media spotlight until they agreed to appear on a documentary for TLC when they turned 16.
The broadcaster has now given them their own show called 'Abby and Brittany' which will premiere on August 28.
When the Hensel twins were born on March 7, 1990, in Minnesota in the United States, doctors warned their parents Patty, a registered nurse, and Mike, a carpenter and landscaper, that they were unlikely to survive the night.
But that prediction was to prove wildy wrong.
