The birthmark under William Brintnell's left eye is a potent emblem, a constant reminder of where his identical twin brother Wyatt sat on him in utero.
After dozens of surgeries to remove the scar that was once much larger, William has come to accept that what remains will never fade. It swells up occasionally, especially when he plays soccer, but he doesn't really care how it looks. It's a small price to pay, he says, for a bond as tight as you might imagine in identical twins.
"We're 22 years old, and the longest we've ever been apart is three days," he says.
Today, William and Wyatt are graduating together from the University of Alberta's bachelor of science degree program in animal health in the Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences. Both plan to go on to veterinary school and one day open a clinic of their own, specializing in exotic pets. William is partial to birds and reptiles, Wyatt to mammals — especially ferrets, rabbits and guinea pigs.
The brothers took to animal care from an early age, both declaring their intention to become veterinarians in their kindergarten yearbook. For much of their lives, the family had a dozen pets at once.
"During the first two years of university, we had six budgie birds, two ferrets, two crested geckos, a leopard gecko and a Hermann's tortoise," says Wyatt. "Currently we have the tortoise, one crested gecko, four budgies and a Senegal parrot."
They admit caring for 12 animals is a lot of responsibility while carrying a full course load at university. But it comes down to routine and careful scheduling, and the fact that they work together seamlessly. There are occasional moments of tension, but they say resolving conflict rarely takes more than an hour or so.
Both are high-level soccer players on the same Premier division team, with experience representing Ukraine in Edmonton's Mini World Cup. Exploiting their uncanny connection, they play as a unit.
