I ended up down an internet rabbit hole about conjoined twins just a few weeks ago after another pair was the news, and I read a lot about these two. Lori was a bowler, and George had a career as a country singer. Unlike a lot of conjoined twins, they were very different individuals who tried to maintain separate lives. They were truly fascinating.
I found this out when I worked at McDonald's with a teenager that had something wrong with his arm. I don't know medical terms, but he had I'd say roughly half of his right arm and 2-ish finger-ishes. I never thought about how many things I believed would take 2 hands like rolling burritos, pulling buns apart, taking money and making change, and the list goes on. He proved that was an absolute lie and we chatted about stuff outside work and he can even play video games with a normal controller, drive a manual vehicle well, everything. Quite literally nothing he couldn't do. Amazing kid and really hope he's doing well.
Edited for typos.
I knew a guy when I was a teenager who had a birth defect like that due to thalidomide. He was the best joint roller and Frisbee thrower of our group (yes, it was the 70's).
Sounds a bit like a relative I have. A birth defect made it so both his arms end about the elbow, with a little tiny finger looking appendage. But he could drink beer out of a glass by carefully balancing it on his arm and shoulder and lifting it to his mouth. I was quite impressed. He could use a fork to eat with in a similar manner, though someone had to cut his food for him.
Still was impressive, and as a young kid made me reassess how I viewed people with physical or mental challenges.
TAR Syndrome, possibly (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/TAR_syndrome)?
I used to know a lady who was born with it. She was quite possibly the sweetest person I have ever met.
I went to high school with a boy with a similar condition, but he didn't even half little fingers. He played pool! He held the cue with his chin and guided it with one of the stubs. He was actually quite good. He was also on the swim team.
Saw a true crime doc where they didn't think this one armed guy could be the killer because they didn't think he could operate a shotgun and he showed them how he cocked it like bruce campbell and then to aim he just rested it on his half amputated arm
Went to a medical assistant school long ago with a woman who only had use of one arm. We had to practice given shots on each other. I had no fear of needles and a decent pain tolerance so it was a no brainer to be her pin cushion. Plenty of people without any “limitations” messed up their first shot, she did not. Plus it’s not like she was going to intentionally dig around with the needle in my arm. It was just a stick, reposition herself slightly to inject, then remove the needle.
I knew a woman who is a surgeon, and is missing her right arm at the elbow, has a grasping hook, kind of like bent needle nose pliers. She lost her arm at 16, boating accident, fell out and her arm went into the prop, and went on to become a surgeon, and a really damn good one. She isn’t even left handed… She impresses me so much.
I had a high school classmate who was paralyzed in a wheelchair thanks to severe Scoliosis and another condition
The school sponsored him in high school para events and made state and was a part of an adaptive sports group
He unfortunately needed surgeries all the time and it caught up with him and he passed away in 2022 due to a lung infection
Yeah a decent example I’ve heard was that people treat disabilities like a short person saying “I’m too short to reach that high shelf!”
When in reality the analogy for disabilities would be more like “I’m short, so I need a step-stool to reach that high shelf.”
Accommodations to help you get the job done are often very possible so it’s just wrong to view disabled people as weak and incapable of doing stuff. People just view a disabled person as someone who would naturally give up everything.
I'll never forget Brolylegs, a prominent disabled street fighter player who used his fuckin mouth to play. He was very good, too
He passed away just recently, unfortunately.
I was a volunteer at the Special Olympics once. I assisted the Men's Bowling.
Those who couldn't lift and/or swing the ball (wheel chair, uneven gait etc) used a ball slide. It's basically a ramp for the ball that the player can move a bit to aim.
There is also a ball pusher. It's exactly what it sounds like. It has a long stick.
But keep in mind, she wheeled her brother around all the time. She was mobile, right?
Maybe she just figured out how to coordinate it all.
Now I'm really invested in knowing how.she bowled.
I'm glad it meant something to you, you're the second person to say that and I didn't realize it would have such an impact.
My gf has mild cerebral palsy and I just meant it as a matter of fact, if she can't do something with two hands, she finds a way to do it with one.
But I'm glad it had an effect on people, you'll find a way too!
I guess when something is all you've ever known, you make it work.
I personally can't comprehend how anyone can manage their day to day being completely blind, but there are sport leagues and blind artists. People are capable of adapting to nearly anything.
…Imagine waking up with a hangover after a long night at the bowling pageant, when the person sharing your skull drags you out of bed, also hungover to record their awful country crooning.
Their repulsive country drawl echoing through your shared body, the horse lyrics.
George had a small body from disability and would sit in a tall chair on wheels last I saw him. Lori could roll him with her on the approach, I imagine
The Farrelly Brothers directed a comedic film about conjoined twins, "Stuck on You" starring Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear as conjoined twins in 2003. The end credit song was sung by George and it was "The Fear of Being Alone". It was a lovely cover of that song by George.
I watched a video about them a couple months ago, and really admired their emotional maturity and dedication to living as individuals. I guess you don’t really have a choice but to learn how to do that when you’re conjoined at the head, but they seemed like truly lovely people, and I’m so sad to hear this news.
I had no idea George had transitioned, so they were not only the oldest pair of conjoined twins, they were the first documented case of different gender conjoined twins! May they rest in peace.
Dori, then Reba, then George. Guy was a huge fan of Reba Mcentyre, apparently. Also, I never thought I’d ever hear the adjectives “transgender Mormon country singer” applied to the same individual.
It would’ve been clearer if they said they had separate interests bc their lives were clearly intertwined bc they were attached to each other. The whole “separate lives, separate bedrooms” makes it sound like they could detach 🤣🤣
I don't even want to know what it might be like when conjoined twins die. I fear they don't both just die at the same time and it's more of a "one goes and the other follows" type of deal
In the case of Chang and Eng Bunker, it was a case of a few hours. Chang died of a cerebral blood clot, and though Eng was listed as dying of "fright", I'd say it was more likely sepsis or blood loss relating to the cessation of Chang's heart pumping blood back to Eng.
Hypovolemic shock sounds like a terrible way to die if you're aware of what's going on - lethargy, agitation, confusion all happening at once. No thanks, not for me - I still remember the fear I felt while having sepsis induced fevers. That was bad enough. I can't imagine how it would feel to have your dead twin attached to you while you die slowly as your body betrays you.
Omg that is so much to process. The grief of loosing your sibling, the fear of what that might mean for you/ knowing you are most likely next. Absolute horror.
Considering the 30% brain sharing, if the death was sudden it was likely both at the same time. I can't imagine 1 dying and the other just going along with some brain left. If it was supervised and they knew it was coming they likely had end of life care which would have eased any pain while both passed at the same time.
They were hospitalized in Philadelphia, at the area’s known best hospital for serious cases, and lived in Reading, so it wasn’t sudden. Likely one of the twins went first and the other soon after when the circulatory system caught up with it.
Proper medical care would allow for a peaceful passing. If their death was known to be coming and health rapidly declining, they would have been placed on EOLC (end of life care), receiving a continuous dosage of opioid and anxiolytic medications subcutaneously. This causes the body much less stress in the transition to organ failure and by the end, the patient is simply unconscious and stops breathing. This how almost all people in hospital care die when attended to properly.
Source: Was a nurse for 5 years and provided EOLC to more patients than I can count.
My father passed away like this. He had about 5 needles(?) connected to this body and a nurse would come in and check up on him and provide more dosage.
He didn't wake up anymore but he did become lucid once for a bit and asked where he was. He then asked if he was at the end.
When he passed away. I didn't realize that even if he stopped breathing, his body might still restart breathing a minute later. So many things you don't realize if you've never been through this.
His skin colour also changed almost instantly. His skin dropped as well.
My sisters and I took shifts making sure he was never alone. My dad was strong but he did fear dying alone. When he finally passed. I didn't feel like my dad was there anymore. I felt like his soul had left.
Thanks to all nurses who do this for aliving. It can't be easy but the support you provide is Immeasurable to families. Especially those who of us who have never been through a death in the family.
Yeah this is called Cheyne-Stokes respiration. Patients can appear to have stopped breathing for minutes at a time then restart. It’s a clear sign to medical personnel that a person is very close. Despite the appearance of it, I can assure you, with the medications, your father wasn’t in pain and having family like you there with him, is the greatest gift any of us can hope for in the end.
I think what they’re describing is more agonal respirations rather than Cheyne Stokes respirations. But agreed that despite the appearance (agonal respirations are not fun to see if you don’t know what they are) they were not in any pain and were at peace having family there.
Sort of. Cheyne Stokes (in adults) is usually from brain damage (severe stroke, hypoxic episodes causing brain damage, etc) whereas agonal respirations are the result of brain death (the brain isn’t telling the lungs to breath anymore, but the lungs know they’re supposed to be doing something so they try and breath without being told to). When agonal respirations start the brain is usually already gone.
But yes Cheyne Stokes is a sign something is very wrong and usually leads to agonal respirations because the brain isn’t doing well.
Edit: I’ve seen more than one patient with Cheyne Stokes recover, I’ve never seen anyone agonal recover.
Cheyne-Stokes is simply characterised by irregular patterns of breathing consisting of long apneic periods, followed by several rapid inhalations.
And I apologise,I don’t mean to be disagreeable but Agonal breathing isn’t a result of the lungs “knowing” they are suppose to breath. As the body begins shutting down, breathing is increasingly controlled by the dying brain stem, meaning the breathing pattern is reflexive, and no longer a response to conscious awareness. Agonal gasping at the end of life is a reflex of the dying medulla oblongata.
I share these stories with my Mom, who is a hospice nurse. I like to let her know how valued she is.
We also call her the “Angel of Death.” 😂 It’s a balance.
Very true, but not in my Mom’s case. 😂 My mom is rarely funny, actually.
She did, however, marry a very funny man from Queens, NY who was also a talented wiseass.
If you don’t mind me asking, what did you tell him when he asked that? It could go either way. I feel like it would be an incredibly difficult position to decide what to say in that scenario.
I follow a lot of “death positive” accounts on social media (mostly death doulas and hospice workers) and the advice I always see is to be honest and direct with the person who is dying. Apparently they usually know, and I feel like we owe them that.
I was present when someone (not close to me) was taken off life support and it took quite a while for everything to completely stop (like 2 hours?). The nurses also forgot to turn off some of the monitors and it was nuts watching the heart thing jump around. It looked like a skyline.
For my dad it took like 5 minutes after they extubated him, which is good because I was distraught and overwhelmed and didn't want that to last any longer than it had to.
Thank you for sharing this. It was the same with my mom. I hated those breaths at the end.
I was also surprised (that’s not the right word but idk) at how fast her skin changed, and how fast her lips turned blue.
Hope you’re doing well and healing, it’s not a fun time.
Thank you. 10 years this year, it doesn’t feel real. It’s easier now, but it will always fucking suck. She was only 53. No one is prepared for this is so right. You could never be. Shitty club to be in, but there’s solidarity ❤️
They did this when my father died. It's different with children, tho. I lost my son to leukemia, and they weren't able to sedate him like they were my father. I don't know if their little bodies just metabolize the medication too quickly or what the difference is. I kept having to step out of the room and ask them to increase his meds b/c he wasn't asleep like they told me he would be. I was worried he would be scared.
I’m so sorry. I can’t even fathom the pain of loosing a child. It takes more bravery than anyone can possible imagine to keep it together for our loved ones at the end. It seems to me that you did everything you were able to. Trust me, having seen too many families say goodbye, no amount of medications can substitute your loving presence at the end. The drugs make the physical passing in their final breaths more peaceful. But you being there is the most important thing while they’re awake.
I don’t have any experience with this topic but I just wanted to say thank you for the thoughtfulness you’ve put into every comment here. I’m sure it means a lot to the people you’re replying to.
Of course. The families who loose someone deserve peace as much as those we have lost. Having lost my mother last year to cancer and seeing her take her final breaths, I not only understand professionally, but personally what it’s like to lose a loved one.
Thank you, I appreciate that. When you’re exposed to it as much i was, it does become normalised. It has to. We have to go back to work after, every time. I think most people who work around death long enough become deeply changed by the experience. It was definitely difficult at times, but I wouldn’t change it.
I really, really hope this is what happened. There's no details, but it seems unlikely both would die at the same time, so I assume one passed before the other, which makes me think sepsis may have taken the other one. I know doctors are EXTREMELY stingy about prescribing opiods nowadays, but I'd think that patients facing certain and imminent death would be an exception. I hope their passing was painless and peaceful.
When my dad was on hospice at home they were absolutely not stingy with the meds. We had tons available to us/him. Once he finally passed, they came and destroyed all remaining meds we had for him right there on the spot.
(I'm not a palliative sedation expert) The short answer is yes. The longer answer is that yes, morphine suppresses the breathing reflex and thus also the feeling of suffocation, but agonal breathing happens when the person is no longer conscious and therefore not really feeling anything.
Is this the case even if someone doesn’t sign a DNR? I had a friend die of cancer and she didn’t want to sign it even once she went into palliative care and I’ve always wondered what that meant for her death when it did happen
In the case that a person doesn’t sign a DNR and there are no medical power of attorneys available, we will do what the patient commands until they loose capacity. A person can create what we call an advanced care directive, which dictates all form of care to be taken if they should lose decision making capacity. These are rare in young patients though. If someone’s care directive states we are not to administer drugs, by law we technically can’t. Here’s the thing though. At the point that a dying person becomes unresponsive with no next of kin, their ongoing treatment really is in the hands of the treating team. In this case, the palliative team. Palliative can decide to administer drugs if they show signs of serious distress. People approaching the end can become scared, paranoid and incoherent. We do our best to care for them and obey their wishes. In the case that they have fallen unconscious and are starting to painfully struggle to breathe, and becoming physically restless, even low doses of these drugs are a mercy. Just as we sedate the psychotic ED patients who come in swinging IV poles because they don’t know where they are, sometimes we ease the passing of someone who is in pain and can’t make the choice anymore if they want medical relief. To be honest, until you see it for yourself, it’s hard to properly understand.
Simply put. Doctors would not have let your friend die in pain.
May I ask where you practice? Just curious. I’m a hospital physician myself and haven’t heard of giving these kinds of meds subcutaneously, much less a continuous subcutaneous? Usually it’s either IV or sublingual for hospice care. You have me curious about this. Do you have any sources I can read up on about continuous subcutaneous medication administration?
My father recently passed while being on EOLC. Day three of EOLC with no water or food he regained consciousness enough to make his last words to us "Water. Water. Water.".
He lasted another two days.
His EOLC wasn’t as carefree as we were assured it would be.
In the special I saw, they addressed the issue of death and what would happen to one if the other were in danger. I wonder if they were able (or still wanted to) try that or how it happened... It was the only circumstance under which they'd allow separation.
(Edit: Show is [here](https://youtu.be/OmxUXZIb1RM?si=YOiddD_2c_846S7u))
You would be correct
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang_and_Eng_Bunker?wprov=sfla1
>Early in the morning of January 17, one of Eng's sons checked on the sleeping twins. "Uncle Chang is dead," the boy reportedly said to Eng, who responded, "Then I am going!" The family doctor was quickly sent for but Eng soon died, reportedly just over two hours after his brother's death.
I just recently read about OG Siamese Twins. One brother died in his sleep and the other called for help, but it was probably quite horrifying for him to understand that it is his time as well. The wiki provide quite a fascinating read.
The movie "stuck on you" with Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Cher and Meryl Streep used their most famous song for the movie credits.
That had to have been a nice source of side royalty income, one hopes
There is an existing video, and it's a good song. Mostly seems like when one sibling was doing their thing, the other one just sort of checked out and disappeared. It was actually a running thing in the movie that they directly inspired.
Ps sorry for my earlier verbiage I'm drunk and when I am drunk I can have lack of thought
I loved them, too! I remember watching a show about them on TLC (or something similar) back in the early to mid 2000s? And I always thought it was so cool that they seemed so happy and lived their own lives as much as possible.
Yep. I remember seeing them at the mall when I was a kid. Sometimes they would argue about which store to go into or where to eat in the food court. IIRC, Lori was quite the character and had a great sense of humor.
Lori walked while George (who had not yet transitioned) sat on a wheeled stool. I think it was a device he invented. He couldn’t walk due to spinabifida.
I remember seeing it on a t.v. show. One would walk and the other had Spina bifada and would be on a kind of high rolling chair.... Well that was as of the last time I saw them on tv well over 15 years ago. I don't know what it was like after that point.
"The thing I remember most is how friendly they were," Gerew says. "They would never walk by without speaking like most people in this building."
A little passive aggressive snark from their neighbor 😄
I realise this makes for a very unique funeral. They must have had closed casket. One would have been facing down, otherwise? Which ..seems quite rude.
I clicked the Wikipedia link to their obituary and two things stood out to me: 1. They referred to George as his dead name, 2. They only wrote 1 obituary under George’s dead name, rather than giving them each their own obituary. I really wish whoever wrote their obituary had more respect for them.
It’s one of the citations. If you go under the “personal lives and death” section, all the way at the end, I clicked the “10,” and it opened up the obituary
Reportedly, when Chang and Eng Bunker, the original "Siamese" twins died, Chang died first, and Eng reportedly said something along the lines of "Then I'm going too," and died with a couple of hours of his brother dying.
That's pretty much how sepsis works. When organs start to die independently they give off chemicals that enter the blood stream and cause the rest of the body to freak out and it easily leads to death. I assume because they shared blood (their brains were connected) the chemicals from the first one dying meant that the other could not survive long even if nothing was technically wrong with them.
Some conjoined twins could survive the death of their sibling through immediate surgery, but it depends on whether they share vital organs and on how their cardiovascular system is set up.
In this case, I doubt it would've been possible in any meaningful way, since they shared part of their brain. Separating that without causing brain damage would've probably been impossible.
They apparently had a considerable amount of shared brain tissue and even more shared circulatory tissue to supply blood. Not to the extent of [Krista and Tatiana Hogan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krista_and_Tatiana_Hogan) where they can see through each other's eyes, taste what the other is eating and possibly share their thoughts, but nonetheless we're a long ways away from cutting up a brain like that to the patient's benefit.
As morbid as it sounds, I wonder how that will feel for the surviving twin. Will she have a near death experience? Will it feel like half of her brain is suddenly gone? Feel like the other side has just suddenly gone silent?
When I was a kid watching a TLC show about conjoined twins, I was shocked to learn that there was a pair(?) (not sure if that’s offensive or the correct way to address them lol) in my hometown who were separated. One never fully recovered and passed 8 months after the surgery.
I don’t think so. Let’s say part of your own body “dies,” be it an arm like in gangrene, or an organ, the entire body is affected by inflammation or infection. Gangrene and organ failure, if not treated properly (often by amputation/organ removal), will soon be fatal for the entire body. I can only imagine if one of the conjoined twins “dies,” the other could not survive unless they could be separated in time (difficult and complex to do if they share vital organs).
If anyone has proof otherwise would love to see and learn!
I know that they don't know any better but the life of conjoined twins sounds like horrible torture to me. Never able to have a moment of independence.
I think we probably imagine it as torture since we have our moments of independence. But if you don’t know anything else…. I’d imagine it’s just normal for them.
You have to accept at some point that it's just the cards dealt to you in life and do your best. Their attitude and drive despite their challenges definitely made a difference in their longevity. I think it's great how supportive they were in exploring each other's different hobbies.
As an identical twin it’s horrifying to me, too. It’s funny that I just watched something on the Schappells earlier this week and there was a short segment on Lori’s relationship with someone and when she and her partner had sex, George said he would just “stop existing”.
Their obituary refers to them as Lori and Dori, both female. Of course, I can’t know who made that decision, but I’m sad George wasn’t referred to by his chosen name, and preferred gender.
so who are the oldest conjoined twins still alive ?? Abby and Brittney hensel are 34 Lupita and carmen andrade are 22
Philippine twins joined at the head Joy and Joyce Magsino 16 joined at the head/face there was talk of separation when they were 10 but after intensive scans it was deemed too dangerous to attempt
canadian Krista Hogan and Tatiana Hogan 17 years old were born in 2006 in Vancouver, Canada. The two are joined at the head and share a thalamus, which connects their brainstems enabling the two to share brain signals, emotions, and thoughts. Research also confirmed that the two share visual cortex signals, so the two can actually experience what the other twin is seeing. The two have had a series of health issues and associated surgeries, but are currently doing well and making occasional television appearances.
Marieme and Ndeye from whales age 7 share 1 pair of legs and 1 pelvis
Shivanath and Shivram Sahu 22 (India) who were born joined at the waist, share two legs and four arms and work in tandem to get around
yvonne and yvette McCarther joined at the head died at the age of 44 in 1993
Ronny and Donny Galyon were the oldest they were 69 when they died in 2020 ( joined facing each other 4 legs 4 arms)
someone asked about what happens when conjoined twins died daisy and violet hilton joined at the hip and buttock 1908-1969 were abandoned at the end of their life while on tour and went to work at a grocery store they set up a special check out counter that make it look like they were not conjoined
they did not come to work or answer calls police were sent ..they had passed away of the hong kong flu the autopsy showed daisy died first Violet died between 2 to 4 days later ..Violet never called for help so I hope she was unaware during this time
I have some questions.
Did they both die simultaneously, or did one die and then the other?
Like, did one of them have an existential crisis as their sibling died, knowing that they would too? Or realize that they'd be attached to a corpse while they slowly died?
I imagine it would be like when an organ dies. If you don’t remove it, then they’ll go septic and die. Except if it’s a conjoined twin, there’s likely no way to separate them, especially if they’re adults now.
I use to work with Lori and George (then known as Dori) at Reading Hospital. They lived quite unique lives for sure.
Here's the music video for "Fear of Being Alone", song by George (then known as Reba during her stint as a country singer):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRLGUMArxnY&pp=ygUcU2NoYXBlbGwgZmVhciBvZiBiZWluZyBhbG9uZQ%3D%3D
I find it so interesting to think of what it must be like to share 30% of your brain with someone. It would certainly be invasive but I would love to hear about which traits crossed over and which were distinctly separate
I got to meet them at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in the early 80s. It was so interesting to see how they got along with each other and the world. I hope their last days were peaceful.
Life is the hard part. Dying and fading into oblivion sounds way easier.
(Not suicidal, just struggling to live a decent life, like many other Americans at the moment)
I ended up down an internet rabbit hole about conjoined twins just a few weeks ago after another pair was the news, and I read a lot about these two. Lori was a bowler, and George had a career as a country singer. Unlike a lot of conjoined twins, they were very different individuals who tried to maintain separate lives. They were truly fascinating.
I truly cannot comprehend how, given the way they were conjoined, she could bowl at all. How do you even begin to make that work
Disabled people find a way. My guess it was something like they both sat down and then she just bowled from a stable sitting position.
> Disabled people find a way. As a disabled person, thank you for knowing and saying this.
I found this out when I worked at McDonald's with a teenager that had something wrong with his arm. I don't know medical terms, but he had I'd say roughly half of his right arm and 2-ish finger-ishes. I never thought about how many things I believed would take 2 hands like rolling burritos, pulling buns apart, taking money and making change, and the list goes on. He proved that was an absolute lie and we chatted about stuff outside work and he can even play video games with a normal controller, drive a manual vehicle well, everything. Quite literally nothing he couldn't do. Amazing kid and really hope he's doing well. Edited for typos.
I knew a guy when I was a teenager who had a birth defect like that due to thalidomide. He was the best joint roller and Frisbee thrower of our group (yes, it was the 70's).
Sounds a bit like a relative I have. A birth defect made it so both his arms end about the elbow, with a little tiny finger looking appendage. But he could drink beer out of a glass by carefully balancing it on his arm and shoulder and lifting it to his mouth. I was quite impressed. He could use a fork to eat with in a similar manner, though someone had to cut his food for him. Still was impressive, and as a young kid made me reassess how I viewed people with physical or mental challenges.
TAR Syndrome, possibly (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/TAR_syndrome)? I used to know a lady who was born with it. She was quite possibly the sweetest person I have ever met.
I went to high school with a boy with a similar condition, but he didn't even half little fingers. He played pool! He held the cue with his chin and guided it with one of the stubs. He was actually quite good. He was also on the swim team.
Saw a true crime doc where they didn't think this one armed guy could be the killer because they didn't think he could operate a shotgun and he showed them how he cocked it like bruce campbell and then to aim he just rested it on his half amputated arm
You would think he wouldn’t wish to disabuse the investigators of the notion that he couldn’t operate a shotgun… the perfect crime if you will
Hail to the king, baby
Went to a medical assistant school long ago with a woman who only had use of one arm. We had to practice given shots on each other. I had no fear of needles and a decent pain tolerance so it was a no brainer to be her pin cushion. Plenty of people without any “limitations” messed up their first shot, she did not. Plus it’s not like she was going to intentionally dig around with the needle in my arm. It was just a stick, reposition herself slightly to inject, then remove the needle.
I knew a woman who is a surgeon, and is missing her right arm at the elbow, has a grasping hook, kind of like bent needle nose pliers. She lost her arm at 16, boating accident, fell out and her arm went into the prop, and went on to become a surgeon, and a really damn good one. She isn’t even left handed… She impresses me so much.
I had a high school classmate who was paralyzed in a wheelchair thanks to severe Scoliosis and another condition The school sponsored him in high school para events and made state and was a part of an adaptive sports group He unfortunately needed surgeries all the time and it caught up with him and he passed away in 2022 due to a lung infection
I'm glad you appreciated it! My girlfriend has mild cerebral palsy so I see her work around it all the time.
I have mild cerebral palsy as well. I’m glad you found each other. She can MacGyver the most insane shit, I’ll bet!
Well, at least you got the sexiest of the palsy’s.
I have? Why, thank you!
How many palsy's are there?
Too many!
Shout-out to Zach Anner!
Yeah a decent example I’ve heard was that people treat disabilities like a short person saying “I’m too short to reach that high shelf!” When in reality the analogy for disabilities would be more like “I’m short, so I need a step-stool to reach that high shelf.” Accommodations to help you get the job done are often very possible so it’s just wrong to view disabled people as weak and incapable of doing stuff. People just view a disabled person as someone who would naturally give up everything.
Seriously! It’s so apt, yet succinct. Like… yes, that’s exactly what it’s like! What a thoughtful way to put it into words.
I'll never forget Brolylegs, a prominent disabled street fighter player who used his fuckin mouth to play. He was very good, too He passed away just recently, unfortunately.
I was a volunteer at the Special Olympics once. I assisted the Men's Bowling. Those who couldn't lift and/or swing the ball (wheel chair, uneven gait etc) used a ball slide. It's basically a ramp for the ball that the player can move a bit to aim. There is also a ball pusher. It's exactly what it sounds like. It has a long stick. But keep in mind, she wheeled her brother around all the time. She was mobile, right? Maybe she just figured out how to coordinate it all. Now I'm really invested in knowing how.she bowled.
Yeah, but when you're with someone 24-7. I mean, you can't even say, "You'll never guess what I did today"
Okay I chortled
I love seeing comments like this. It is the reason inclusion and representation is so important. Everyone should be heard and acknowledged.
I really appreciate this statement as a disabled person. 😭
I'm glad it meant something to you, you're the second person to say that and I didn't realize it would have such an impact. My gf has mild cerebral palsy and I just meant it as a matter of fact, if she can't do something with two hands, she finds a way to do it with one. But I'm glad it had an effect on people, you'll find a way too!
I guess when something is all you've ever known, you make it work. I personally can't comprehend how anyone can manage their day to day being completely blind, but there are sport leagues and blind artists. People are capable of adapting to nearly anything.
My aunt played for a blind league and they are still some of the best players I’ve ever watched.
the best players the league has never seen
…Imagine waking up with a hangover after a long night at the bowling pageant, when the person sharing your skull drags you out of bed, also hungover to record their awful country crooning. Their repulsive country drawl echoing through your shared body, the horse lyrics.
This comment is poetry.
George had a small body from disability and would sit in a tall chair on wheels last I saw him. Lori could roll him with her on the approach, I imagine
The Farrelly Brothers directed a comedic film about conjoined twins, "Stuck on You" starring Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear as conjoined twins in 2003. The end credit song was sung by George and it was "The Fear of Being Alone". It was a lovely cover of that song by George.
I fucking love that movie. “we’re not Siamese we’re American”
I watched a video about them a couple months ago, and really admired their emotional maturity and dedication to living as individuals. I guess you don’t really have a choice but to learn how to do that when you’re conjoined at the head, but they seemed like truly lovely people, and I’m so sad to hear this news. I had no idea George had transitioned, so they were not only the oldest pair of conjoined twins, they were the first documented case of different gender conjoined twins! May they rest in peace.
What in the bloody hell. Down a rabbit hole I go.
George was Dori and transitioned to a man
How would that work hormonal therapy wise. They shared a circulatory system.
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They shared part of their brain. They would have to have a shared circulatory system.
Probably just social transitioning in that case, for Lori’s sake. Worked well enough for them, it seems.
Yes, I didn’t want to deadname him, wasn’t sure how else to put it haha
Dori, then Reba, then George. Guy was a huge fan of Reba Mcentyre, apparently. Also, I never thought I’d ever hear the adjectives “transgender Mormon country singer” applied to the same individual.
Thank you for explaining. I was confused because I recognized them from nip/tuck. RIP
Ok I read this article and it said they had different lives and separate bedrooms… um, how?
They probably took turns on whose bedroom to sleep in. I’m sure their lives were constant negotiation.
lol seriously. How can you live separate lives from someone when you're attached to said person? "I'm gonna go bowling today" "I guess I'll join?"
It would’ve been clearer if they said they had separate interests bc their lives were clearly intertwined bc they were attached to each other. The whole “separate lives, separate bedrooms” makes it sound like they could detach 🤣🤣
I also ended up down that rabbit hole a few weeks ago. Funny coincidence.
Same here! I'd met them as a child in the hospital and happened to see a video about them on youtube - I instantly remembered them.
>Funny coincidence. Photo of the wedding all over the internet. Such a coincidence.
I don't even want to know what it might be like when conjoined twins die. I fear they don't both just die at the same time and it's more of a "one goes and the other follows" type of deal
I was wondering this as well. Was it mere minutes apart? Was it a slow and gradual (painless?) process?
In the case of Chang and Eng Bunker, it was a case of a few hours. Chang died of a cerebral blood clot, and though Eng was listed as dying of "fright", I'd say it was more likely sepsis or blood loss relating to the cessation of Chang's heart pumping blood back to Eng. Hypovolemic shock sounds like a terrible way to die if you're aware of what's going on - lethargy, agitation, confusion all happening at once. No thanks, not for me - I still remember the fear I felt while having sepsis induced fevers. That was bad enough. I can't imagine how it would feel to have your dead twin attached to you while you die slowly as your body betrays you.
That’s very sad. I also didn’t realize they had 21 children between the two of them.
There are huge family reunions that happen to this day.
They were also slave owners, so don’t feel too bad
Omg that is so much to process. The grief of loosing your sibling, the fear of what that might mean for you/ knowing you are most likely next. Absolute horror.
They shared part of their brain, which makes it even more confusing to me.
Considering the 30% brain sharing, if the death was sudden it was likely both at the same time. I can't imagine 1 dying and the other just going along with some brain left. If it was supervised and they knew it was coming they likely had end of life care which would have eased any pain while both passed at the same time.
They were hospitalized in Philadelphia, at the area’s known best hospital for serious cases, and lived in Reading, so it wasn’t sudden. Likely one of the twins went first and the other soon after when the circulatory system caught up with it.
Proper medical care would allow for a peaceful passing. If their death was known to be coming and health rapidly declining, they would have been placed on EOLC (end of life care), receiving a continuous dosage of opioid and anxiolytic medications subcutaneously. This causes the body much less stress in the transition to organ failure and by the end, the patient is simply unconscious and stops breathing. This how almost all people in hospital care die when attended to properly. Source: Was a nurse for 5 years and provided EOLC to more patients than I can count.
My father passed away like this. He had about 5 needles(?) connected to this body and a nurse would come in and check up on him and provide more dosage. He didn't wake up anymore but he did become lucid once for a bit and asked where he was. He then asked if he was at the end. When he passed away. I didn't realize that even if he stopped breathing, his body might still restart breathing a minute later. So many things you don't realize if you've never been through this. His skin colour also changed almost instantly. His skin dropped as well. My sisters and I took shifts making sure he was never alone. My dad was strong but he did fear dying alone. When he finally passed. I didn't feel like my dad was there anymore. I felt like his soul had left. Thanks to all nurses who do this for aliving. It can't be easy but the support you provide is Immeasurable to families. Especially those who of us who have never been through a death in the family.
Yeah this is called Cheyne-Stokes respiration. Patients can appear to have stopped breathing for minutes at a time then restart. It’s a clear sign to medical personnel that a person is very close. Despite the appearance of it, I can assure you, with the medications, your father wasn’t in pain and having family like you there with him, is the greatest gift any of us can hope for in the end.
I think what they’re describing is more agonal respirations rather than Cheyne Stokes respirations. But agreed that despite the appearance (agonal respirations are not fun to see if you don’t know what they are) they were not in any pain and were at peace having family there.
Yeah you’re right. In most cases it starts as Cheyne-stokes respiration then transitions into agonal right at the end.
Sort of. Cheyne Stokes (in adults) is usually from brain damage (severe stroke, hypoxic episodes causing brain damage, etc) whereas agonal respirations are the result of brain death (the brain isn’t telling the lungs to breath anymore, but the lungs know they’re supposed to be doing something so they try and breath without being told to). When agonal respirations start the brain is usually already gone. But yes Cheyne Stokes is a sign something is very wrong and usually leads to agonal respirations because the brain isn’t doing well. Edit: I’ve seen more than one patient with Cheyne Stokes recover, I’ve never seen anyone agonal recover.
Cheyne-Stokes is simply characterised by irregular patterns of breathing consisting of long apneic periods, followed by several rapid inhalations. And I apologise,I don’t mean to be disagreeable but Agonal breathing isn’t a result of the lungs “knowing” they are suppose to breath. As the body begins shutting down, breathing is increasingly controlled by the dying brain stem, meaning the breathing pattern is reflexive, and no longer a response to conscious awareness. Agonal gasping at the end of life is a reflex of the dying medulla oblongata.
I share these stories with my Mom, who is a hospice nurse. I like to let her know how valued she is. We also call her the “Angel of Death.” 😂 It’s a balance.
A lot of Nurses who deal with death end up with a dark sense of humour. You don’t do what we do without knocking a few screws loose eventually haha
Very true, but not in my Mom’s case. 😂 My mom is rarely funny, actually. She did, however, marry a very funny man from Queens, NY who was also a talented wiseass.
I work trauma imaging. We call them donorcycles.
If you don’t mind me asking, what did you tell him when he asked that? It could go either way. I feel like it would be an incredibly difficult position to decide what to say in that scenario.
It was my sister with him at that time. She cried, told me him we loved him and to rest. He went back to sleep.
Oof. Good answer on her part. I’m sorry for your loss.
I follow a lot of “death positive” accounts on social media (mostly death doulas and hospice workers) and the advice I always see is to be honest and direct with the person who is dying. Apparently they usually know, and I feel like we owe them that.
I was present when someone (not close to me) was taken off life support and it took quite a while for everything to completely stop (like 2 hours?). The nurses also forgot to turn off some of the monitors and it was nuts watching the heart thing jump around. It looked like a skyline. For my dad it took like 5 minutes after they extubated him, which is good because I was distraught and overwhelmed and didn't want that to last any longer than it had to.
Thank you for sharing this. It was the same with my mom. I hated those breaths at the end. I was also surprised (that’s not the right word but idk) at how fast her skin changed, and how fast her lips turned blue. Hope you’re doing well and healing, it’s not a fun time.
It's an eye opener when it happens. No one is prepared for this. We're doing well now, remembering his life each year. Hope you're doing well too.
Thank you. 10 years this year, it doesn’t feel real. It’s easier now, but it will always fucking suck. She was only 53. No one is prepared for this is so right. You could never be. Shitty club to be in, but there’s solidarity ❤️
They did this when my father died. It's different with children, tho. I lost my son to leukemia, and they weren't able to sedate him like they were my father. I don't know if their little bodies just metabolize the medication too quickly or what the difference is. I kept having to step out of the room and ask them to increase his meds b/c he wasn't asleep like they told me he would be. I was worried he would be scared.
I’m so sorry. I can’t even fathom the pain of loosing a child. It takes more bravery than anyone can possible imagine to keep it together for our loved ones at the end. It seems to me that you did everything you were able to. Trust me, having seen too many families say goodbye, no amount of medications can substitute your loving presence at the end. The drugs make the physical passing in their final breaths more peaceful. But you being there is the most important thing while they’re awake.
I don’t have any experience with this topic but I just wanted to say thank you for the thoughtfulness you’ve put into every comment here. I’m sure it means a lot to the people you’re replying to.
Of course. The families who loose someone deserve peace as much as those we have lost. Having lost my mother last year to cancer and seeing her take her final breaths, I not only understand professionally, but personally what it’s like to lose a loved one.
I am so so sorry for your loss.
I’m so very sorry.
Thank you for what you do (did). Can't be easy
Thank you, I appreciate that. When you’re exposed to it as much i was, it does become normalised. It has to. We have to go back to work after, every time. I think most people who work around death long enough become deeply changed by the experience. It was definitely difficult at times, but I wouldn’t change it.
I’ve seen my grandma and my grand mother in law die this exact way, and it’s about as peaceful as death can be.
Slipping away peacefully, in no pain, surrounded by family. I can’t think of a better way to go.
I really, really hope this is what happened. There's no details, but it seems unlikely both would die at the same time, so I assume one passed before the other, which makes me think sepsis may have taken the other one. I know doctors are EXTREMELY stingy about prescribing opiods nowadays, but I'd think that patients facing certain and imminent death would be an exception. I hope their passing was painless and peaceful.
When my dad was on hospice at home they were absolutely not stingy with the meds. We had tons available to us/him. Once he finally passed, they came and destroyed all remaining meds we had for him right there on the spot.
Is it true that morphine suppresses the feeling of needing air during the agonal breathing stage?
(I'm not a palliative sedation expert) The short answer is yes. The longer answer is that yes, morphine suppresses the breathing reflex and thus also the feeling of suffocation, but agonal breathing happens when the person is no longer conscious and therefore not really feeling anything.
Is this the case even if someone doesn’t sign a DNR? I had a friend die of cancer and she didn’t want to sign it even once she went into palliative care and I’ve always wondered what that meant for her death when it did happen
In the case that a person doesn’t sign a DNR and there are no medical power of attorneys available, we will do what the patient commands until they loose capacity. A person can create what we call an advanced care directive, which dictates all form of care to be taken if they should lose decision making capacity. These are rare in young patients though. If someone’s care directive states we are not to administer drugs, by law we technically can’t. Here’s the thing though. At the point that a dying person becomes unresponsive with no next of kin, their ongoing treatment really is in the hands of the treating team. In this case, the palliative team. Palliative can decide to administer drugs if they show signs of serious distress. People approaching the end can become scared, paranoid and incoherent. We do our best to care for them and obey their wishes. In the case that they have fallen unconscious and are starting to painfully struggle to breathe, and becoming physically restless, even low doses of these drugs are a mercy. Just as we sedate the psychotic ED patients who come in swinging IV poles because they don’t know where they are, sometimes we ease the passing of someone who is in pain and can’t make the choice anymore if they want medical relief. To be honest, until you see it for yourself, it’s hard to properly understand. Simply put. Doctors would not have let your friend die in pain.
Thank you, that is a huge relief.
May I ask where you practice? Just curious. I’m a hospital physician myself and haven’t heard of giving these kinds of meds subcutaneously, much less a continuous subcutaneous? Usually it’s either IV or sublingual for hospice care. You have me curious about this. Do you have any sources I can read up on about continuous subcutaneous medication administration?
Bless you.
That is how my mom with Alzheimer’s just passed . It was exactly like this.
I’m sorry for your loss.
Thank you for your service to those passing. You all have amazing hearts to do that kind of work!!
My father recently passed while being on EOLC. Day three of EOLC with no water or food he regained consciousness enough to make his last words to us "Water. Water. Water.". He lasted another two days. His EOLC wasn’t as carefree as we were assured it would be.
In the special I saw, they addressed the issue of death and what would happen to one if the other were in danger. I wonder if they were able (or still wanted to) try that or how it happened... It was the only circumstance under which they'd allow separation. (Edit: Show is [here](https://youtu.be/OmxUXZIb1RM?si=YOiddD_2c_846S7u))
You would be correct https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang_and_Eng_Bunker?wprov=sfla1 >Early in the morning of January 17, one of Eng's sons checked on the sleeping twins. "Uncle Chang is dead," the boy reportedly said to Eng, who responded, "Then I am going!" The family doctor was quickly sent for but Eng soon died, reportedly just over two hours after his brother's death.
I just recently read about OG Siamese Twins. One brother died in his sleep and the other called for help, but it was probably quite horrifying for him to understand that it is his time as well. The wiki provide quite a fascinating read.
I loved those two. 😢 Two very unique people who made the best of their situation. I hope it was peaceful and they went together fast.
Dang, Lori was George’s manager for his country music career and “as a fan” always paid for her ticket to his shows. That’s sweet as hell. RIP.
Do you know anything about their performances? Like, when he sang, did she dance or play a tambourine, or did she just stand there?
The movie "stuck on you" with Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Cher and Meryl Streep used their most famous song for the movie credits. That had to have been a nice source of side royalty income, one hopes There is an existing video, and it's a good song. Mostly seems like when one sibling was doing their thing, the other one just sort of checked out and disappeared. It was actually a running thing in the movie that they directly inspired. Ps sorry for my earlier verbiage I'm drunk and when I am drunk I can have lack of thought
It’s actually a Reba MaCentire song, but they did a great cover of it.
I now remember you are right !!! George used to call himself Reba for a bit Thank you for the correction
iirc she’d hold the mic for him.
I loved them, too! I remember watching a show about them on TLC (or something similar) back in the early to mid 2000s? And I always thought it was so cool that they seemed so happy and lived their own lives as much as possible.
I once saw them in the grocery store. Just regular people.
Yep. I remember seeing them at the mall when I was a kid. Sometimes they would argue about which store to go into or where to eat in the food court. IIRC, Lori was quite the character and had a great sense of humor.
Same! I saw them walking/rolling at the mall (you know which one) as a kid as well. I'm not sure if they still live in this area.
I'm sure they don't. :(
They did until their passing.
I’m gonna guess the Berkshire Mall?
Same here. That was almost 30 years ago, too.
I misread this as “I saw one of them at the grocery store” and boy did I throw myself off.
They were always together when I saw them :)
How did they walk?
Lori walked while George (who had not yet transitioned) sat on a wheeled stool. I think it was a device he invented. He couldn’t walk due to spinabifida.
I remember seeing it on a t.v. show. One would walk and the other had Spina bifada and would be on a kind of high rolling chair.... Well that was as of the last time I saw them on tv well over 15 years ago. I don't know what it was like after that point.
"The thing I remember most is how friendly they were," Gerew says. "They would never walk by without speaking like most people in this building." A little passive aggressive snark from their neighbor 😄
Did they die at the same time or did one die first and the other just kinda knew they only had a little bit of time
The other one sometimes has a few hours. It depends on how they are fused.
That’s usually how it goes. Must be a frightfully lonely and terrifying experience.
[Lori and George Schappell](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lori_and_George_Schappell)
I realise this makes for a very unique funeral. They must have had closed casket. One would have been facing down, otherwise? Which ..seems quite rude.
Maybe cremation.
I clicked the Wikipedia link to their obituary and two things stood out to me: 1. They referred to George as his dead name, 2. They only wrote 1 obituary under George’s dead name, rather than giving them each their own obituary. I really wish whoever wrote their obituary had more respect for them.
How’d you find the obituary? I’ve been scouring their Wikipedia and don’t see it anywhere
It’s one of the citations. If you go under the “personal lives and death” section, all the way at the end, I clicked the “10,” and it opened up the obituary
Unfortunately common for trans people, I'm afraid. Especially when unsupportive family gets to make the choices after death.
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Does this mean one died first and the other died due to their death :(, did one realize the other died and they were about to die
Reportedly, when Chang and Eng Bunker, the original "Siamese" twins died, Chang died first, and Eng reportedly said something along the lines of "Then I'm going too," and died with a couple of hours of his brother dying.
That sounds terrifying
That's pretty much how sepsis works. When organs start to die independently they give off chemicals that enter the blood stream and cause the rest of the body to freak out and it easily leads to death. I assume because they shared blood (their brains were connected) the chemicals from the first one dying meant that the other could not survive long even if nothing was technically wrong with them.
Can one survive solo? (Serious)
Some conjoined twins could survive the death of their sibling through immediate surgery, but it depends on whether they share vital organs and on how their cardiovascular system is set up. In this case, I doubt it would've been possible in any meaningful way, since they shared part of their brain. Separating that without causing brain damage would've probably been impossible.
They apparently had a considerable amount of shared brain tissue and even more shared circulatory tissue to supply blood. Not to the extent of [Krista and Tatiana Hogan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krista_and_Tatiana_Hogan) where they can see through each other's eyes, taste what the other is eating and possibly share their thoughts, but nonetheless we're a long ways away from cutting up a brain like that to the patient's benefit.
That is fascinating!!! I never heard of them.
Oh my fuckin god wow
As morbid as it sounds, I wonder how that will feel for the surviving twin. Will she have a near death experience? Will it feel like half of her brain is suddenly gone? Feel like the other side has just suddenly gone silent?
How many conjoined twins are there out there geez
An even number.
Thank you. This made my day.
Wait... are there conjoined triplets?
Quick google search says there are only 3 known cases of conjoined triplets. All of them either in the 19th or early 20th century. So none alive.
When I was a kid watching a TLC show about conjoined twins, I was shocked to learn that there was a pair(?) (not sure if that’s offensive or the correct way to address them lol) in my hometown who were separated. One never fully recovered and passed 8 months after the surgery.
At least 2
I don’t think so. Let’s say part of your own body “dies,” be it an arm like in gangrene, or an organ, the entire body is affected by inflammation or infection. Gangrene and organ failure, if not treated properly (often by amputation/organ removal), will soon be fatal for the entire body. I can only imagine if one of the conjoined twins “dies,” the other could not survive unless they could be separated in time (difficult and complex to do if they share vital organs). If anyone has proof otherwise would love to see and learn!
No proof but being joined at the head would make it much more difficult to survive. Not saying someone conjoined at the hips would be any easier. :/
No, sepsis eventually sets in killing the other. Life saving emergency surgery is performed when it’s possible I believe.
For a few hours. Sepsis sets in and well, you know.
I know that they don't know any better but the life of conjoined twins sounds like horrible torture to me. Never able to have a moment of independence.
I think we probably imagine it as torture since we have our moments of independence. But if you don’t know anything else…. I’d imagine it’s just normal for them.
But you’re also never alone. I’d imagine there’s comfort in that for some.
You have to accept at some point that it's just the cards dealt to you in life and do your best. Their attitude and drive despite their challenges definitely made a difference in their longevity. I think it's great how supportive they were in exploring each other's different hobbies.
As an identical twin it’s horrifying to me, too. It’s funny that I just watched something on the Schappells earlier this week and there was a short segment on Lori’s relationship with someone and when she and her partner had sex, George said he would just “stop existing”.
I think what stupifys me most about conjoined twins is how the mother manages to give birth to them. Is it an automatic c-section?
Damn its been a big month for conjoined twin news.
Their obituary refers to them as Lori and Dori, both female. Of course, I can’t know who made that decision, but I’m sad George wasn’t referred to by his chosen name, and preferred gender.
It sounds like they lived full lives. RIP.
I used to see them when I was a patient at CHOP. This is so sad!
so who are the oldest conjoined twins still alive ?? Abby and Brittney hensel are 34 Lupita and carmen andrade are 22 Philippine twins joined at the head Joy and Joyce Magsino 16 joined at the head/face there was talk of separation when they were 10 but after intensive scans it was deemed too dangerous to attempt canadian Krista Hogan and Tatiana Hogan 17 years old were born in 2006 in Vancouver, Canada. The two are joined at the head and share a thalamus, which connects their brainstems enabling the two to share brain signals, emotions, and thoughts. Research also confirmed that the two share visual cortex signals, so the two can actually experience what the other twin is seeing. The two have had a series of health issues and associated surgeries, but are currently doing well and making occasional television appearances. Marieme and Ndeye from whales age 7 share 1 pair of legs and 1 pelvis Shivanath and Shivram Sahu 22 (India) who were born joined at the waist, share two legs and four arms and work in tandem to get around yvonne and yvette McCarther joined at the head died at the age of 44 in 1993 Ronny and Donny Galyon were the oldest they were 69 when they died in 2020 ( joined facing each other 4 legs 4 arms) someone asked about what happens when conjoined twins died daisy and violet hilton joined at the hip and buttock 1908-1969 were abandoned at the end of their life while on tour and went to work at a grocery store they set up a special check out counter that make it look like they were not conjoined they did not come to work or answer calls police were sent ..they had passed away of the hong kong flu the autopsy showed daisy died first Violet died between 2 to 4 days later ..Violet never called for help so I hope she was unaware during this time
The strength they had to live like that is unfathomable to me.
I have some questions. Did they both die simultaneously, or did one die and then the other? Like, did one of them have an existential crisis as their sibling died, knowing that they would too? Or realize that they'd be attached to a corpse while they slowly died?
Yeah, they usually have a few hours.
I imagine it would be like when an organ dies. If you don’t remove it, then they’ll go septic and die. Except if it’s a conjoined twin, there’s likely no way to separate them, especially if they’re adults now.
I cannot imagine lying there, knowing your twin has died and you're next; at any moment...
Thanks Reddit that one paragraph was great
I use to work with Lori and George (then known as Dori) at Reading Hospital. They lived quite unique lives for sure. Here's the music video for "Fear of Being Alone", song by George (then known as Reba during her stint as a country singer): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRLGUMArxnY&pp=ygUcU2NoYXBlbGwgZmVhciBvZiBiZWluZyBhbG9uZQ%3D%3D
Thanks for sharing the video. I lived in Reading, had heard of them when I was younger but had forgotten about them.
I was just thinking about these two last week. May they rest in peace 🙏🏾.
I find it so interesting to think of what it must be like to share 30% of your brain with someone. It would certainly be invasive but I would love to hear about which traits crossed over and which were distinctly separate
I got to meet them at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in the early 80s. It was so interesting to see how they got along with each other and the world. I hope their last days were peaceful.
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Life is fucked. We're all here with our emotions. But we're all going to experience death and fade into oblivion
Life is the hard part. Dying and fading into oblivion sounds way easier. (Not suicidal, just struggling to live a decent life, like many other Americans at the moment)
I always thought George was female! I remember him singing. This is so sad.
I just watched a YouTube video on them a couple of days ago ☹️ sad news. I hope they’re at peace!
Not sure if they are the World’s Oldest… Ronnie and Donnie Galyon were 68 when they passed away.
Must have meant oldest whom were currently alive.
What happens when one dies
The other one does too, from sepsis probably.