The world’s oldest conjoined twins, George and Lori Schappell from the United States, have passed away at the age of 62.
According to AP News, they died on the 7th (local time) at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital. The exact cause of death has not been disclosed.
According to Guinness World Records (GWR), they were the oldest conjoined twins, born on September 18, 1961, in Pennsylvania, USA.
Medical professionals predicted they would not live past 30 when they were born. However, the twins exceeded these expectations, living until they were 62 years and 202 days old.
Lori and George (formerly known as Dori) were conjoined twins who shared 30% of their brain (frontal and parietal lobes) and important blood vessels, with their skulls partially fused. This type of brain sharing is rare, accounting for only 2-6% of conjoined twin cases.
After graduating from high school and college, they worked side by side at a hospital in Pennsylvania for six years. Later, as George embarked on a career as a country singer, they traveled worldwide, including Germany and Japan, to match his performances.
Despite sharing a brain, they were different in many ways. Lori was healthy, but George needed a wheelchair, struggling with spina bifida.
Their gender identities were also different. In 2007, George declared himself transgender and was recognized as male by the state. Thus, George and Lori became the world’s first conjoined twins with different gender identities.
They respected each other’s privacy. Lori said in a 1997 documentary that their inseparability didn’t mean they couldn’t have privacy. One would draw the curtain when showering while the other waited outside the tub. They also had separate rooms and took turns spending time in each other’s space.
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