*** Welcome to piglix ***

Lori and George Schappell

Lori Schappell
Dori Schappell
Reba Schappell in concert.jpg
George (then known as Reba) in concert with Lori holding the microphone.
Born Lori Schappell
Dori Schappell

(1961-09-18) September 18, 1961 (age 55)
Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania
Nationality American
Parent(s) Festus and Edna Schappell
Relatives Denna Rawlins (sister)

Lori and George Schappell (born as Lori and Dori Schappell, September 18, 1961, in Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania) are conjoined twins. George has performed as a country singer. In 2007, George, who was at that time known as Reba Schappell, stated that although born female, he identifies as male and changed his name to George.

George has designed support equipment for people with physical handicaps, including a specialized wheelchair and a mobility aid for dogs.

As country singer Reba, George has performed widely in the United States and visited Germany and Japan and in 1997, won an L.A. Music Award for Best New Country Artist. He sang "Fear of Being Alone" over the credits of Stuck on You, a comedy film about a pair of fictitious conjoined twins.

Lori acts as George's facilitator. She works in a laundry, arranging her workload around his singing commitments. She says that, as a fan of his, she pays to attend concerts, just like all the other fans, simply making herself quiet and "invisible" while he is performing.

As conjoined twins, Lori and George have appeared in a number of television documentaries and talk shows. They have also acted in an episode of the television series Nip/Tuck, in which they played conjoined twins Rose and Raven Rosenberg.

On June 21, 2007, Lori and George took part in the grand opening of "Ripley's Believe It Or Not ! Odditorium" in Times Square in New York City. This is the first time they were billed as Lori and George Schappell.

Born as Lori and Dori Schappell, they are craniopagus conjoined twins joined at the head, but having very different personalities and living—insofar as possible—individual lives. As a mark of individuality, and disliking the fact that their names rhymed, Dori first chose to go by the name Reba, after his favorite singer Reba McEntire. By 2007 he preferred to be publicly known as George.

Lori and George spent the first 24 years of their lives living in an institution in Reading, Pennsylvania, in which the majority of patients were suffering from severe intellectual disabilities. Although neither is intellectually disabled, George's physical condition required special care. A court decision was made that their parents would be unable to care for them properly and they were removed and institutionalized. In the 1960s there were few hospital institutions for people who had special needs that were particularly unusual. In order that they might be placed in the institution, they were diagnosed as suffering from intellectual disability. When they reached adulthood, George, with the help of Ginny Thornburgh, wife of former Pennsylvania Governor Richard Thornburgh, fought to have this diagnosis overturned and they were able to go to college.


...
Wikipedia

...