A Woman With A Rare Birthmark Has Learned That She Is Her Own Twin

Taylor Muhl was born with a distinctive birthmark that runs down the middle of her body and causes one side of her torso and back to seem redder than the other. Muhl was diagnosed with tetragametic chimerism, a rare medical disease in which a person has two sets of DNA. When two different eggs are fertilized by two different sperms, one of the embryos absorbs the other embryo during the early stages of development. Muhl discovered she was her own twin in 2009, but just lately decided to make her condition public in order to raise awareness.

A woman born with a unique birthmark down the center of her body discovered that she is her own twin sister

Taylor Muhl, a singer from California, has a unique birthmark that runs down the center of her body. Her torso and back look to be significantly redder on one side. She also possesses a number of other characteristics that point to something extraordinary.

"Everything on the left side of my body is slightly larger than the right side," Taylor writes on her blog. "I have a double tooth in the left side of my mouth and many sensitivities and allergies to foods, medications, supplements, jewelry, and insect bites."

She found she has two sets of DNA after speaking with a doctor who specializes in rare diseases. "Not only that, I’ve been told I have two immune systems and two bloodstreams."

Taylor's chimerism is tetragametic. When two different eggs are fertilized by two different sperms, one of the embryos absorbs the other embryo during the early stages of development. People with this sort of chimerism may have two blood types or different eye colors, as Taylor does.

Only about 100 human cases of chimerism have been documented. With the exception of altered pigmentation, people with the illness can live a normal life. Several people were unaware of their ailment until blood tests revealed it. After a blood test revealed that her DNA did not match the DNA of her own children due to the presence of her twin's DNA, a mother had to establish that her children were her own.

According to Live Science, the bulk of cells in chimera patients come from a single pair of DNA. If the twin embryos from which the person is developed contain different chromosomes, the person may acquire ambiguous genitalia (ie if one twin is male and the other is female). Muhl had two female embryos from which she developed. However, her health has been harmed as a result of the DNA combination.

"My body reacts to my twin's DNA and cells as foreign matter, compromising my immune system to be much lower than an average person’s. Due to that, I, unfortunately, suffer from autoimmune and health challenges." Taylor initially realized she was effectively her own twin in 2009, and she made the news public late last year to raise awareness about the syndrome and its link to autoimmune conditions.

"I felt it was important to show my entire physical demarcation because in the entertainment business there's an overwhelming amount of pressure to appear physically perfect or within a certain physical stereotype," she wrote at the time.

"I hope by showing my own imperfections I can inspire others who have physical abnormalities or who are different, to never let that stop them from pursuing their dreams, to love themselves unconditionally and to know they're beautiful just the way they are."

Source: INSIDER

About the Writers:

Maina Zaina, Writer and a Virtual Assistant at AVCreativity Studio. She enjoys media entertainment and is an avid fan of "K-Wave". She loves her job because she is exposed to different types of entertainment. She also believes in the saying "If you want to be successful, don't seek success - seek competence, empowerment; do nothing short of the best that you can do" by Jaggi Vasudev

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