They were the oldest live conjoined twins in the world. Lori and George Schappell have died.
Official obituaries from Leibensperger Funeral Homes in Hamburg, Pennsylvania, say that the twins died on April 7 of unknown reasons.
They were born in Pennsylvania on September 18, 1961. This is the twin Schappell. The Guinness World Records website says that the pair, who were 62 years and 202 days old, held the title of oldest living conjoined twins.
Before late 2007, when George Schappell came out as transgender, the twins were also the oldest female conjoined twins ever. The site said that when George Schappell came out, they were the first set of same-sex conjoined twins to say they were different genders.
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The Schappell twins had craniopagus, which means that their heads were partly fused together. Guinness says that the two people shared important blood systems and 30% of their brains. They were the rarest type of conjoined twins, making up only 2–6% of cases.
A profile of the Schappell siblings in New York in 2005 said that they were joined at the forehead and faced opposite ways, so they couldn’t see each other.
When the Schappells were born, surgeries to separate identical twins like them were not possible. Not that they ever wanted to be split up, though.
She told the Los Angeles Times in 2002, “I don’t believe in separation.” “You seem to be getting in the way of God’s work.”
Even though they were physically twins, their lives were very different.
There was a story in the Los Angeles Times in 2002 that said Lori Schappell could walk, but her four-inch shorter brother had spina bifida and couldn’t help but walk. So, Lori Schappell pushed her brother or sister around on a portable stool.
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George Schappell was a professional country singer for many years and even booked shows in other countries. She went to college and worked in a hospital, Lori Schappell. The two said to the Los Angeles Times that George would read a book while Lori Schappell packed medical equipment.
They came up with creative ways to make things work for each other as they grew up together. Her brother liked to take a shower first thing in the morning, while Lori liked to take one in the evening. Somehow, they were able to let one twin take a bath while the other stayed dry.
“Normal” means different things to different people, but Lori Schappell told the Los Angeles Times that her family was very happy. “It all comes down to making peace.” The world would be a better place if more people did that.
A story in New York magazine said that the twins spent the first 24 years of their lives in a home for mentally disabled people because their “frightened and confused parents” sent them there.
The couple was only able to leave the hospital after Richard Thornburgh’s wife helped state officials see that they did not have intellectual disabilities, according to the magazine.
After that, the twins went to Reading, Pennsylvania, and lived alone in a high-rise apartment block made for older people.
A number of films and talk shows on TV showed the Schappell twins.
According to IMDB.com, they also played conjoined twins Rose and Raven Rosenberg in an episode of “Nip/Tuck” in 2004.
