Identical twins Sara and Amanda began to engage in strange and secret rituals when they were just toddlers. Their mother noticed that when they tried to put their sneakers on, it would take hours.
The girls refused to complete the task unless their socks were wrinkleless and their laces were tied in a specific way. Eventually, the girls were diagnosed with excessive compulsive dysfunction.
The condition became so severe that Sara and Amanda would take 10-hour showers, often scrubbing so much with soap that their skin would peel off.
They felt tortured by their condition, but fortunately, they received a life-changing deep-brain stimulation surgical procedure that allowed them to manage the OCD. Now, they are steadily easing back to a “normal” life. They can leave the house, have friends, and jobs again.
The only issue is that there is one thing Sara and Amanda haven’t been able to do: they haven’t spent one night apart from each other in 15 years.
Sara and Amanda appeared on The Doctors and were challenged to spend the night in separate hotel rooms. The two women were panicked by the request but agreed. They kept video diaries of the night and felt almost cripplingly alone. Then something amazing happened: they got through it.
To their mother’s pride, they were able to become independent, and while it’s just the beginning, it is still a huge leap forward.
“I’m really proud of the you two of you for sharing this story, for going through this experience and really explaining to people at home everything you’ve been through,” says ER Physician Dr. Travis Stork.
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