You’ve probably seen the headlines. Maybe you caught a snippet of a documentary years ago or stumbled upon a viral clip on social media. People call them "the twins who share a mind." But honestly, that’s not quite right. It’s way more complicated—and way more interesting—than a catchy tagline.
Tatiana and Krista Hogan are now in their late teens. Born in October 2006 in Vancouver, British Columbia, these sisters are craniopagus twins. That means they’re joined at the head. But while many conjoined twins share bone or blood vessels, Tatiana and Krista share something much deeper: a bridge of neural tissue.
The "Thalamic Bridge" That Changes Everything
Most of us live our lives inside a private bubble. My thoughts are mine; your thoughts are yours. For these sisters, that wall doesn't really exist in the same way.
The biological "magic" happens in the thalamus. In a typical human brain, the thalamus acts like a grand central station for sensory information. It’s the hub that relays sight, sound, and touch signals to the parts of the brain that process them.
Tatiana and Krista have what neurosurgeons call a thalamic bridge. Their two thalami are literally fused. Because of this, sensory data from one girl’s body can travel directly into the other girl’s brain.
It’s not just theory. Doctors, including pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Douglas Cochrane, have observed this for years. They’ve done tests where they cover one twin’s eyes and show the other twin an object. The twin who can't see the object still "sees" it through her sister’s eyes.
Imagine that for a second. You close your eyes, and suddenly you’re looking through someone else’s perspective. It’s like a biological livestream that never turns off.
Life in the Hogan Household
The twins live in Vernon, B.C., with a big, loud, supportive family. Their mother, Felicia Simms, has been their fiercest advocate since day one. When they were born, the "experts" were pretty grim. Some said they’d never walk. Some said they’d be in a vegetative state.
🔗 Read more: X Ray on Hand: What Your Doctor is Actually Looking For
They were wrong.
The girls aren't just surviving; they’re living. They swim. They go to school. They bicker like any other siblings. But their bickering is unique because they often know what the other is going to say before she says it.
- Touch: If you tickle Tatiana, Krista might giggle.
- Taste: If Krista eats something she hates, Tatiana might make a face.
- Movement: They’ve learned to coordinate their limbs so well they can run and play, even though they have to manage a combined body weight that’s tricky to balance.
Tatiana is generally the "motor" of the pair. Her heart and kidneys do a significant amount of the work for both bodies. Early on, this caused some health scares, specifically high blood pressure for Tatiana, because she was literally pumping blood for two people. Surgery and ongoing care at BC Children's Hospital have helped manage those physical strains.
Two People, One Connection
A big misconception is that they are "one person with two heads." That’s just not true.
If you spend five minutes watching them, you’ll see two distinct personalities. Tatiana is often described as the chatty, outgoing leader. Krista is more laid back, a bit of a jokester, but she can be stubborn when she wants to be.
They have different tastes in food. They have different moods.
The fascinating part is how they negotiate their shared space. Think about trying to decide what to eat when your stomach is literally shared. Or trying to sleep when your sister wants to stay up and watch a movie—and you can see the movie through her eyes even if yours are shut.
💡 You might also like: Does Ginger Ale Help With Upset Stomach? Why Your Soda Habit Might Be Making Things Worse
They’ve described their internal communication as "talking in our heads." It’s not telepathy in the sci-fi sense; it’s just the natural result of their nervous systems being hardwired together.
The Reality of "Never Separated"
People always ask: "Why don't they just separate them?"
It’s a heavy question. Shortly after they were born, the medical consensus was clear. Because their brains are so deeply interconnected, separation would almost certainly be fatal for one or both. Even if they survived, the neurological damage would be catastrophic.
For the Hogan family, the choice wasn't really a choice. They chose life as it is.
Navigating the Ethics and the Future
There’s always been a bit of a debate around the twins. Some bioethicists and critics—like the late Dr. W. Gifford-Jones, who wrote controversial columns about the case—questioned the "tragedy" of their birth. They focused on the cost to the healthcare system and the "cruelty" of a life conjoined.
But the Hogans don't see it as a tragedy.
When you see the twins laughing or learning to ride a specially designed bike, the "tragedy" narrative falls apart. They are pioneers of a different kind of human experience. They challenge everything we think we know about the "self."
📖 Related: Horizon Treadmill 7.0 AT: What Most People Get Wrong
If two people share a part of their brain, where does one person end and the other begin?
What We Can Learn from Tatiana and Krista
Their story isn't just a medical curiosity. It offers some pretty heavy insights into human resilience.
- Brain Plasticity is Real: Their brains have adapted to a connection that shouldn't exist. They’ve mapped out how to control their limbs and process "borrowed" senses in ways that baffle scientists.
- Individuality is Not Just Biology: Despite the shared hardware, their "software"—their personalities and souls—remains stubbornly separate.
- Support Systems Matter: The twins have thrived because they weren't treated as "patients" first. They were treated as kids first.
Actionable Takeaway: Supporting Rare Conditions
If you’re following the story of the Hogan twins because you’re interested in neurodiversity or rare medical conditions, the best thing you can do is support organizations that focus on inclusive education and pediatric neurology.
The Hogans have often dealt with financial strain due to the specialized equipment and travel required for the girls' care. While they’ve stepped back from the intense media spotlight of their childhood to give the girls a more "normal" teenage life, their journey reminds us that "normal" is a very flexible word.
If you want to dive deeper into the science of their connection, look up the work of Dr. Douglas Cochrane or the 2017 CBC documentary Inseparable. These sources offer the most factual, non-sensationalized look at how their thalami actually function.
The story of Tatiana and Krista Hogan isn't over. They are heading into adulthood, continuing to prove that being "connected" isn't a limitation—it's just a different way to be human.