Woman with rare birthmark discovers she is her own twin
'I could’ve gone through life with a twin, with a sibling that hopefully I could’ve been close to'
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Your support makes all the difference.It’s not unusual for children to fantasise about having a twin. But for one woman, this wish almost came true when she discovered she was her own twin.
American singer and model Taylor Muhl has always had a unique birthmark in the shape of different skin pigmentation divided by a line running straight down the middle of her torso.
It wasn’t till Muhl investigated this that she learned she was one of around only 100 people ever to have a rare condition called chimerism, which means she has two sets of DNA.
The condition occurs when one unborn child absorbs the cells of another miscarried sibling in the womb, leading to the surviving person taking some of the genes of their “ghost” twin.
The condition often goes unnoticed, but Muhl had spotted some differences between the two sides of her body.
“Everything on the left side of my body is slightly larger than the right side,” she wrote on her blog. “I have a double tooth in the left side of my mouth and many sensitivities and allergies to foods, medications, supplements, jewellery and insect bites.”
It was when the singer went to see a doctor who specialises in rare medical conditions that she discovered she is a chimera, with two immune systems and two bloodstreams.
“My first reaction was shock,” Muhl told People. “Then my second reaction was sadness because I was like, ‘Oh my gosh! I could’ve gone through life with a twin, with a sibling that hopefully I could’ve been close to.’ There was some sadness.”
It’s also because of the condition that Muhl has the distinctive line down her torso due to different skin pigmentation on each side of her body.
Until she was diagnosed, Muhl had spent years fighting autoimmune diseases - her body recognises the twin’s cells as foreign so is constantly battling them - but the diagnosis has helped her.
“I actually felt relief,” Muhl said. “I felt freedom because for the first time in my life I knew why my stomach looks the way it does. This is why I’ve had so many health challenges.
“I felt like for the first time I could really breathe. Prior to that, every doctor said my stomach must have just been a birthmark… Finally, this is making some sense.”
Her mother never noticed anything unusual about the pregnancy, but was sad when she learned about the condition, feeling like she’d lost a child.
Although Muhl learned about her chimerism years ago, she originally made an effort to keep her stomach hidden so as not to reveal her condition.
Now, however, she’s proud to reveal her stomach and speak out about her unique body.
“I don’t have to hide who I am anymore and it’s a great feeling,” she said.
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