After battling autoimmune issues, Taylor Muhl was diagnosed with ‘chimerism’ – a condition in which a fraternal twin dies in utero and is fused into the surviving twin.
Chimerism is a condition named after the chimera, a fire-breathing female monster in Greek mythology with a lion’s head, a goat’s body, and a serpent’s tail.
As a result of her chimerism, Taylor has two sets of DNA, two sets of blood cells and two immune systems. Taylor’s physical abnormality appears as a straight line that runs down the centre of her torso dividing it into two different colours – the left side of the pigmentation being her twin’s genetic makeup and the right side being her own.
After years of constant doctor visits and numerous tests, Taylor was finally diagnosed in her twenties and has decided to allow the world to see her skin in hopes of raising awareness about chimerism and to encourage other chimeras to embrace their condition publicly.
Taylor, from Los Angeles, told Barcroft TV:
“I am my own twin because 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. The only people that did know were probably my closest friends and family. Anywhere I went publicly I always kept it covered. 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.”
Source: Mirror
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