A MODEL discovered she is her own twin after being told she shares two separate sets of DNA and even different blood types.
Taylor Muhl is said to have “absorbed” her sibling when they were both in the womb to create a single baby – leaving her with a unique genetic condition called human Chimerism.
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The Californian musician’s rare genetic makeup also means she has some noticeable differences in regards to her appearance.
She has a visible line down her body which essentially splits her two internal beings apart.
Her body is slightly darker on one side, meaning she has two different skin tones – something she has had since birth.
The 41-year-old has always believed that the left side of her pigmentation belongs to her twin.
Taylor’s condition means she is one of only 100 people worldwide who have been diagnosed with Chimerism.
This means she and her fraternal sibling became fused together while still in her mother’s womb.
She has been open with the condition and once told Barcroft TV she views herself as her “own twin”.
Taylor said: “I have two genetic makeups within one body. It’s basically having totally two different humans under the same hood of the car, so to speak.
“When I grew up no-one said anything about my second colour skin pigmentation because no-one really knew.
“My whole life I was always told that my second colour skin pigmentation was just a birthmark.
“Most doctors, even in this day and age, don’t know about Chimerism because it’s that rare.”
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Taylor’s mum, Alex, had no idea she was having twins as she didn’t have any ultrasound scans in the build-up to her pregnancy.
Alex wanted to have a completely natural pregnancy and a home birth despite it not being recommended by midwives.
Chromosome testing on Taylor found that Alex was due to have a second girl.
As soon as she was born the nurses noticed the peculiar pigmentation on her abdomen.
They believed it was just a birthmark at first.
At one point Taylor even tried to have her skin pigmentation laser removed only to feel unbearable pain when she went to undergo the treatment.
But as she became a teen some issues started to occur as Taylor developed a number of strange illnesses.
Still unaware of her condition Taylor assumed the issues were just down to a poor immune system.
It took until she was in her twenties to be finally diagnosed by a doctor.
She then learned that her health issues were thought to be the result of one half of her body attacking the other.
What is human Chimerism?
HUMAN Chimerism is a genetic condition that happens when a person has cells from two different sources.
This can occur when fraternal twins fuse together in the womb – creating a single being.
This fusion can often result in the baby developing a pair of separate DNA, immune systems, blood cells as well as irregular physical attributes.
Another way Chimerism can occur is following a transplant.
Organ transplants can lead to the condition as it is adding a separate part of another human’s body into a foreign entity.
The recipient will have two different types of cells with the new organ having donor cells and DNA different to what the rest of the body has.
Common traits include:
- Two different skin pigmentations on one body
- Different eye colours
- A silver patch of hair
However most people will never even know they have the condition as it won’t affect their daily lives.
This is because she carries two sets of DNA and two technically different immune systems.
Taylor now takes strong probiotics and vitamin supplements to keep her health stable as well staying active.
She told Yahoo: “Even with doing all of that, though, I still endure autoimmune problems and food sensitivities daily, so emotionally it can get frustrating and wearing.”
Growing up Taylor always said she would have loved to have had a twin.
Despite never having a sibling Taylor says she is happy to be able to live a fulfilling life.
She has become a popular singer, songwriter, model and dancer as well as a huge advocate for her condition.
Taylor boasts almost 25,000 Instagram followers and regularly appears in media speaking about Chimerism.
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