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Topics: Guinness World Records, News, Sex and Relationships, Health
Niamh Shackleton
Topics: Guinness World Records, News, Sex and Relationships, Health
Lori and George Schappell shared how they were both able to have dating lives, despite being conjoined twins.
Lori and George went down in history in the Guinness World Records as the world's oldest conjoined twins.
Despite doctors predicting that they wouldn't make it past 30, Lori and George lived to the age of 62.
The pair sadly passed earlier this month.
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George was named Dori at birth, but came out as transgender in 2007. Before coming out as transgender, George identified under the name Reba.
The two siblings shared a blood supply and about 30 percent of their brain together.
While they were conjoined twins, both Lori and George lived separate lives as much as they could.
George had a successful music career as a country singer, while Lori perused her passion of ten-pin bowling.
They lived independently, and each had their own bedroom. They'd sleep in each room on alternate nights and said they 'zoned out' while in each other's rooms, Guinness World Records reported.
Lori and George seemed to have a similar approach when it came to dating, as well.
Lori previously shared with The Sun in 2011: "When I go on dates, George would bring along books to read and as we don’t face each other, he could ignore any kissing.
"I don’t see why being a conjoined twin should stop me having a love life and feeling like a woman."
At one stage, Lori had been engaged for four months, but her partner was tragically killed by a drunk driver.
"It was devastating and my heart is broken. I am still in contact with his family and have only recently started dating again," she said at the time.
"George looked after me. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t know if I could have lived through the heartbreak. I would love to have myself a family - a husband and children of mine."
While being conjoined at the head will have come with its hardships, George and Lori were never interested in being separated.
"Would we be separated? Absolutely not," George said in a 1997 documentary. "My theory is: why fix what is not broken?"
Lori answered a similar question while speaking to Jerry Springer on his show in 2002.
"[Doctors] would have to have 100 percent guarantee that we would come out of surgery the same way we are right now - healthy and able to do things," she told the late TV host when asked if they'd have the surgery now.
"Nobody in life is guaranteed 100 percent of anything," Lori went on.