"I Am My Own Twin": Woman Opens Up About Her Rare Genetic Condition



Taylor Muhl first noticed she was different as a little girl in dance class. She discovered that she was the only one in class who had a straight line running down the center of her torso, halving her body into two different skin colors. Muhl’s parents had consulted doctors, who wrote off the physical abnormality as a simple birthmark. However, her two-pigmented body was something much more complex than a mere birthmark. As Muhl grew older, her health began to deteriorate. After visiting several doctors, she was finally diagnosed with chimerism — a rare genetic condition that’s caused when a person is composed of two genetically distinct type of cells. Muhl is a fraternal twin who fused together with her sibling in the womb, and she now carries that twin’s DNA within her own body. She has two different immune systems and two different bloodstreams. As a result, her immune system is constantly fighting off her twin sister’s cells, as it recognizes them as foreign. Muhl’s condition has made her commit to a lifestyle that involves strong probiotics, many vitamin supplements, organic and fresh nutrition, juicing, exercise, massage, and more. Very few people are known to have chimerism, so there isn't much information about it. That's why Muhl has decided to become an advocate and spread awareness about her condition. She is a singer who has been in the entertainment business most of her life. She recognizes that although on social media she might look normal and healthy, she urges people to "never judge a book by its cover.”