Oct 17, 2006 6:56 pm US/Central
Carlsen Twins Visit H.S. Health Career Fair
by Jeanette Trompeter
St. Paul (WCCO) ―
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Abby Carlsen looked on as hundreds of star-struck high school students made good use of their camera phones.
CBS
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The Carlsen family bond backstage.
CBS
At first glance, Health Care Career Day at the Science Museum in St. Paul looked like any other career fair. There were lots of information booths and, of course, lots of freebies. The high school kids herding into the Mayo Clinic presentation may have expected the same old same-old, but they were in for a surprise.
Make that two. First, they saw the formerly conjoined Carlsen twins on the big screen. Then, they saw them live and in person.
"Here we are in October, they're walking," said Dr. Chris Moir about the girls' amazing progress. "It's an absolutely phenomenal change."
"I just thought that we were going to go listen to other lectures about nursing and stuff like that," said Roseville senior Muna Muse, who snapped pictures of the girls with her cell phone. "I didn't know they had such a good thing for us. I'm really happy to be here."
Jesse and Amy Carlsen brought Abby and Belle from Fargo as a favor to the Mayo Clinic. And though Jesse joked "I should be at work. I had to take two days' vacation," Amy said the trip was a no-brainer.
"Look what Mayo did for us," she said. "It's the least we could do for them."
The Carlsens had a scare a few weeks back. The girls got sick, and Belle ended up in the hospital with pneumonia. To make matters worse, she was allergic to the antibiotics she was given. Thankfully, both girls were healthy and seemed happy at Career Day.
Abby and Belle weren't phased by all the kids with camera phones. Sitting on their parents' laps during an interview, they worked to get their Mom and Dad's interest. At 10-and-a-half months, they want what all babies want: their Mom and Dad's undivided attention.
"Oh, I don't want that. No thank you, you can have it," said Amy to Abby. Finally, Amy took the pacifier her daughter was offering and pretended to use it.
"OK, you can have it now, than you for sharing," she laughed.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Slideshow: Carlsen Twins Visit Healthcare Career Day
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