When the world’s oldest conjoined twins were born, medical professionals doubted they would survive the year, but they defied all the odds against them.
Lori Schappell and her transgender twin George were born with their skull and the left side of their forehead fused in Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1961.
The twins, who spent their lives facing opposite directions, defied expectations of living to be 62 even though doctors said they would not live past 30.
When the couple was born, medical science was not advanced enough to separate craniopagus twins.
But even when separation became theoretically possible, since their brains were not fused, the twins were adamant about staying together.
Lori and her transgender twin George were born with their skull and left side of their forehead fused in Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1961 (pictured in September 2011).
Although doctors doubted they would survive a year after being born (pictured), they defied the odds and became the world’s oldest conjoined twins before their deaths this month.
‘I don’t believe in separation. I think you’re messing with God’s work,” Lori told the Los Angeles Times.
His transgender twin also joked: ‘Would we split up? Absolutely not. My theory is: why fix what isn’t broken?’
Despite being joined for life, the twins were dramatically different from each other and led independent, joyful and fulfilling lives.
George, who was born with spina abifida and was pushed in his wheelchair by his twin, identified himself as a 46-year-old man and was an award-winning country singer.
While Lori had several boyfriends and invested her time in her passion for bowling, winning many trophies along the way.
Lori and George, who preferred to use the pronoun “I” instead of “we,” also had drastically different personalities.
A New York Magazine journalist commented that George was academically inclined, while Lori was more “street smart.”
They also said George was more career-oriented and frugal, while his sister was a “housewife” who liked to shop.
But despite their different interests and divergent traits, the couple always made allowances for each other, so they could both be happy.
The couple became the first conjoined twins to identify as different genders in 2007, after Dori began identifying as George.
The brothers, who had partially fused skulls, could theoretically have been separated, but were adamant about staying together.
For example, George was the twin who wanted to continue his studies, while Lori was then given time to work in a hospital laundry for years.
While she would be working hard, the future country singer would be sitting quietly on a stool.
In the mid-’90s, Lori left her job at the hospital so George, then called Dori, could pursue his dream of being a country singer.
At this time, George adopted the name Reba, inspired by singer Reba McEntire, and performed at venues across the United States and even in Japan and Germany.
He was even awarded Best New Country Artist at the Los Angeles Music Awards in 1997.
While George sang songs like Fear of Being Alone from a comedy about fictional conjoined twins, Stuck On You, Lori sat quietly.
Hiding under a blanket, Lori tried to be invisible to the crowd.
‘(The public) doesn’t see me there. “It’s like I have a blanket over me because I’m quiet and I don’t make noise,” she said.
To further show how different the twins were from each other, George, whose original name was Dori, began identifying as a man at age 46 in 2007, making the twins the first same-sex twins to identify as male. Different genres.
After the two briefly lived in a dorm during their studies at Hiram G Andrews Technical School in Elm and got their own apartment.
The twins often compromised with each other in order to achieve their dreams, and George became an award-winning country singer.
Lori would do her best to be invisible to the crowd of fans by hiding under a blanket.
They even had their own rooms, and one of them remained quiet while the other enjoyed its peace and privacy.
They even showered at different times of the day: George would shower in the morning and Dori would go to the bathroom later in the day.
The conjoined twins even had a shower curtain to separate them so they could enjoy the bath.
“Just because we can’t get up and walk away from each other doesn’t mean we can’t feel alone with other people or with ourselves,” Lori explained.
“People who are close can have very private lives.”
Although the couple would lead an extraordinary life, their beginnings were not easy.
Despite the religious wishes of their mother and father, Franklin and Ruth, the twins were separated from their six siblings and their loving parents.
Since they were children, the two were placed in a center for the mentally disabled located in the nearby city of Hamburg.
Explaining how “unfair” the decision was, Lori explained to the BBC in 2005 that her parents were against the idea.
‘Our parents didn’t want him at all. They were against it, but the courts ruled that they couldn’t take care of us.’
Initially, the twins attracted public attention wanting to show others that conjoined twins could lead normal lives.
They began to distance themselves from the media after many of the questions concerned their sex life.
Although they attended the local high school, Lori and George resided at the institution for more than two decades.
Thanks to a chance encounter with Ginny Thornburg, the wife of the governor of Pennsylvania, the duo were determined not to be impaired and were released.
Lori and George were comfortable in their own skin and became accustomed to the constant stares of unknown strangers.
They appeared in several documentaries, as well as several shows hosted by renowned hosts such as Howard Stern, Maury Povish, and Jerry Springer.
The conjoined twins even starred in Ripley’s Believe It Or Not grand opening in New York’s Time Square.
Explaining why they initially embraced the spotlight, Lori revealed that she felt it was important for them to show that conjoined twins were no different from other people.
However, after a series of questions related to their sex life, the couple decided to distance themselves from the media, stating that they felt “exploited by the modern version of a traveling show.”
Questions about sex often came up during these interviews, especially for Lori, who had numerous boyfriends.
On The Jerry Springer Show, George once said, “When she went on a date, I wasn’t there.”
‘I was there physically (but) I didn’t look at anything or say anything. “It was like I wasn’t there.”
‘You really forget (he’s) there, you really do. He’s in his own little world and doesn’t bother me from the moment I start a date until he finishes.’ Lori intervened.
‘I’ve dated men, but as for anything other than hugs and kisses, I won’t go any further.
“I want marriage and children and I will only give up my virginity on my wedding night.”
Lore was quite open about her desire to one day have a family of her own, explaining, “Eventually I would love to have a family: a husband and children of my own.”
Lori and her transgender twin George died Sunday in a Pennsylvania hospital of undisclosed causes, according to their online obituaries.
Interviewer Antony Thomas then asked George if he would share intimacy with a future husband, to which he replied: “He would be like a brother-in-law to me, that’s all.”
“They can do whatever they want and I’d act like I’m not even there.” I would block it.’
Lori never walked down the aisle. She was once engaged, but her husband died in a car accident, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
In 2015, they became the oldest conjoined twins in the world, surpassing Masha and Dasha Krivoshlyapova, who died at age 53.
Lori and George died Sunday in a Pennsylvania hospital of undisclosed causes, according to their online obituaries.
They are survived by their father, six siblings, and several nieces and nephews.