Joshua Nair
The world's oldest conjoined twins spoke about the reason they never wanted to be separated, prior to passing away earlier this year.
Medical professionals doubted that they would survive the year, but the twins went on to live very full lives for 62 years after doctors said that they wouldn't even make it past 30.
Defying all expectations, Lori Schappell and transgender twin George were born in 1961, with their skulls and left side of their foreheads fused together in Reading, Pennsylvania, US.
Advert
Medical science wasn't advanced enough at the time of their birth to separate the craniopagus twins, but even when it became possible, as their brains weren't fused, the twins were set of staying together for one particular reason.
Lori and George are drastically different to each other, leading independent and fulfilling lives.
George, who was originally called Dori, was born with spina bifida, which is when your spine doesn't form properly as a baby, leaving a gap in the spine and potentially causing lower limb paralysis.
He was pushed in a wheelchair by Lori, and also began identifying as a man aged 46, while also becoming an award-winning country singer.
Lori had many boyfriends in her time, putting her time into ten pin bowling, winning numerous trophies as well.
Advert
But none of this stopped the twins from compromising for each other so they could both be happy, as George went on to pursue a further education as Lori wanted to work at a hospital laundry, where they both allowed each other to pursue their dreams, with George sitting quietly on a stool while Lori worked, for example.
In the 1990s, Lori quit that job so George could chase his dreams of being a country singer, taking on the stage name Reba, performing in the US, Japan and Germany to name a few.
When George sang songs such as the Fear of Being Alone on stage, Lori would sit next to him in silence, hidden under a blanket to avoid taking the spotlight away.
He was awarded best new country artist at the Los Angeles Music Awards in 1997 for his efforts.
Advert
But why did they choose to stay together?
Lori previous told the Los Angeles Times: "I don’t believe in separation. I think you’re messing with God’s work."
Her twin added: "Would we be separated? Absolutely not. My theory is: why fix what is not broken?"
Despite this, they value their own space by having their own bedrooms, curtains in the shower and bathroom times, the twins have always made it work, as during alone time, the other would stay quiet.
Lori explained: "Just because we cannot get up and walk away from each other doesn't mean that we cannot have solitude from other people or ourselves,
Advert
"People who are conjoined can have a very private life."
They went through hardships together as kids, getting put into a facility for the mentally impaired in the nearby town of Hamburg, against their parents' wishes.
Lori explained to the BBC previously that it was a court ruling that sent them away, not their parents as the whole ordeal was 'unfair'.
They became comfortable with the situation, getting used to stares from strangers and eventually got a bit of fame, having been featured on shows with Howard Stern, Maury Povish and Jerry Springer.
Advert
The twins also starred in the grand opening of Ripley's Believe It Or Not in the iconic Times Square in New York.
Lori explained that they wanted to show that conjoined twins aren't different to others, so took the publicity as a good thing.
However, an onslaught of questions about their sex life drew the line, with Lori and George choosing to step away from the spotlight for good, after feeling 'exploited' and feeling like the 'modern version of a travelling sideshow'.
Lori has previously highlighted her wishes to have a family of her own, and George later said that he would be a 'brother-in-law to me, that's it.'
"They can do whatever they do and I'd act like I'm not even there. I would block it out," he claimed.
Unfortunately, her fiance died in a traffic collision according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
In 2015, they overtook Masha and Dasha Krivoshlyapova, who died aged 53, as the world's oldest conjoined twins.
Sadly, Lori and George passed away at a hospital in Pennsylvania due to undisclosed causes, on 7 April 2024, aged 62.