They defied all odds. Lori and George Schappell, officially recognized as the world's oldest conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania at the age of 62. The causes of their death have not yet been communicated. Although they were genetically identical, they both managed to lead different lives, both professionally and personally. This is their story.
Lori and George were born on September 18, 1961. In reality, they were not born twins, but twins - George having declared himself transgender in 2007. They are what we call craniopagus twins, that is say bound not their skulls. They shared bones, vessels and 30% of their hoops, including the frontal and parietal lobes. A condition which affects 2 to 6% of Siamese twins.
When they were born, doctors estimated that their life expectancy would not exceed thirty. But they demonstrated the opposite, notably by winning the title of the oldest Siamese in the world from Guinness World Records.
They managed to live their lives as they wanted
Physically, even if they were facing each other -
which prevented them from seeing each other
- they managed to move without too much difficulty: Lori pushed George who was in a wheelchair due to spina bifida (a defect of closure of the spine).
Although genetically identical, they had two very distinct, even diametrically opposed, personalities: Lori liked to take a shower in the evening while Georges in the morning; Lori liked to eat out and George had takeout; Lori was a spendthrift and George was not; Lori liked to hang out in the stores and George went on errands; Lori still wanted to give media interviews and George didn't say a word... They explained that they could live as they wanted while the other "disconnected."
Professional careers and romantic relationships
They lived for 24 years in a center for the mentally handicapped. But thanks to the intervention of the wife of a former governor of Pennsylvania, they were able to leave this institution by proving that they did not suffer from any intellectual disability. Since 1998, they had lived in a two-bedroom apartment, alternating nights at one house then the other.
“Just because we can't get up and move away from each other doesn't mean we can't live alone, with others or with ourselves
.”
Professionally, the twins managed to have separate careers: Lori earned a college degree and worked in a hospital laundry for several years. While she worked, George occupied himself with a book. But she ended her career to let her brother pursue his passion: being a country singer. Finally, on a more personal level, the twins managed to maintain a love and sex life:
“When I went on dates, George would bring books to read and, since we weren't facing each other, he could ignore any kiss
,” Lori declared in the columns of
the
Sun.
Lori was engaged but her suitor died in a car accident.
Ultimately, the twins felt they had a fairly normal life
: “I don't wake up thinking, 'Oh, I'm a Siamese twin.' I have two arms and two legs. I'm just an ordinary person... I live a normal life,"
Lori told the
Los Angeles Times
in 2002. While it is now possible to separate twins - like Maria de Jésus and Maria Teresa Quien Alvarez - the Schappells have not never been interested in such a separation:
“I don’t believe in separation
,” Lori said
.
“I think you are disrupting the work of God,”
she added. The only exception that would have caused them to separate would have been the death of one of them, she explained. But then again, death did not separate them.