Conjoined Twins 1960s

A look at 94 sets of conjoined twins born between 1960-1969 (71 sets of girls, 17 sets of boys, 6 sets of unknown gender). One set was born as part of quadruplets. Cases are shown in chronological order.

Conjoined twin girls attached at the abdomen are born to an unnamed Buffalo, New York, family on April 12, 1960 and evaluated for possible separation surgery at Buffalo General Hospital.

Irish sisters Patricia and Mary McCarthy are born in Cork on May 18, 1960, conjoined at the head. Patricia succumbs during a May 26 separation attempt.

Conjoined daughters are born to the Lobo family of Spain in July of 1960. Both sisters die at birth.

On July 28, 1960, twin sisters Semekaeng and Dimakatso are born in South Africa. Both girls pass away on December 7.

Valeria Elaine and Vanassa Degenhardt are born to Mr. and Mrs. Gary Degenhardt of Collinsville, Illinois on September 8, 1960. Joined at the chest and sharing a heart, they both pass away on November 20.

James Joseph and Russell Robert Woznicki are born conjoined at the chest and sharing a heart in Indiana on September 10, 1960.

Thoracopagus twins of unknown gender are born in Australia on September 21, 1960, but survive for just one day.

Eva and Niva Harry are born in British Guyana on February 28, 1961. Niva succumbs during an attempt to separate the thoracopagus twins on March 28, while Eva dies two days later.

On April 25, 1961, sisters Barbara Ann and Jeanette Marie Griest are born in Pennsylvania. Sadly, both die at birth.

Omphalopagus twin sisters Beykying Prachin and Deykying Buri Sihasih are born in Thailand in May, 1961, and undergo successful separation at Bangkok Children's Hospital in December of 1962. Dr. Seh Pringpuangkaew, who leads the operation, had previously separated two other sets of conjoined twins.

Stillborn conjoined twins are born to the Lachmayr family of Pennsylvania on May 12, 1961.

Omphalopagus twin girls are born to the Kavrakis family of Ohio on June 25, 1961. They are separated immediately after birth, but only one survives.

Thoracopagus twin girls are born to the Hempel family at Rudolf Virchow Hospital, West Berlin, West Germany on July 3, 1961. They survive for three days.

On September 11, 1961 conjoined twin sisters Karen and Kate Yong are born in Kandang Kerbau Hospital in Singapore. Joined at the chest and abdomen, the twins were separated in surgery conducted at Singapore General Hospital on December 11, 1961, but tragically Kate died of complications arising from the lack of skin on December 12, surviving for just 15 hours following the surgery. Karen Yong was still alive at age 42 as of October, 2003.

A week later, on September 18, 1961 conjoined twin sisters Lori and Reba (Dori) Schappell are born in Reading, Pennsylvania. The sisters have been featured on numerous TV shows and are believed to be the only set of adult living conjoined twins in the United States who are joined at the head. Reba, who has a musical career and who received a L.A. Music Award in 1997 for best new country artist, has spina bifida, which requires her to sit in a special stool which is steered by her sister. They live independently in Pennsylvania.

Craniopagus twins Mark and Adrian Saunders are born in England on October 12, 1961. The twins are not separated and both pass away on November 3.

Hasana and Huseina Amadu, nicknamed Joan and Jennifer by the English-speaking press, are born in Nigeria on December 25, 1961. Pygopagus twins, they are taken to London in preparation for separation surgery, but an emergency operation must be performed on May 22, 1962, after Jennifer dies.

Thoracopagus twin girls with a single heart are born five weeks premature to Myra Quigg, 24, of Glasgow on March 10, 1962, but survive for only one day.

Conjoined twin girls are born to an unnamed London woman on March 22, 1962. After the health of one twin declines, they are separated in an emergency operation on March 26, but both die in surgery.

Ann Marie and Amy Michelle Defayette are born in Ohio on April 8, 1962. Sadly, the twins share a heart and both die during a separation attempt on June 28.

Omphalopagus twin girls with a single liver are born in a small village near Radom, Poland in July of 1962, but both die at birth.

Stillborn thoracopagus twin girls are born to the Headley family of Jamaica on July 11, 1962.

"The San Francisco Twins", Prudence and Patricia Lowe, are born to a Chinese-American couple, Helen and Franklin Lowe, in California on April 11, 1962. Joined by the liver and diaphragm, they are successfully separated on May 29. A follow-up article in the late '60s shows that the twins are developing normally with no complications except for some scarring.

Thoracopagus twin sisters Caroline and Myrtle Hardy of Kingsbury, England are born on October 8, 1962. They are taken to London's Charing Cross Hospital to be monitored while awaiting possible separation surgery, but must be separated in an emergency operation on October 16 after Myrtle's condition rapidly declines. During the operation, multiple anomalies are discovered that are incompatible with life. Myrtle passes away on the operating table and Caroline follows about two minutes later.

Another set of craniopagus twins, Mark and Michael Genovese, are born to the wife of Marine Corps sergeant James Genovese at Wilmington, North Carolina, on November 2, 1963. Doctors at Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem work for five hours to separate the boys on October 21, 1963, but Mark succumbs in surgery while Michael passes away a few days later. The doctors tell the Associated Press that Mark had died because he had "too little brain left" (Delaware County Daily Times, Oct. 22, 1963).

Thoracopagus twin girl are born to Mr. and Mrs. Daniel McKay of Blytheville Arkansas on December 25, 1962. They undergo separation in Memphis, Tennessee, on January 11, 1963, but sadly both die in surgery.

On June 7, 1963, omphalopagus twin sisters Ruth Ann and Rose Mary Temoshenko are born in Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania to Mrs. John Temoshenko, who already has a set of twin sons. The girls have separate hearts but share a liver and undergo separation at Philadelphia Children's Hospital on June 19. The operation is initially declared a success, but Rose dies soon after, whereas Ruth passes away on July 8.

Separation is attempted on two-day-old craniopagus twins from Nottingham, England, Beverly and Allison Fenwick, on June 8, 1963. Beverly dies immediately after surgery, whereas Allison's fate is unknown.

Daniel Clifford and David Eugene Bartley are born joined at the chest at Glendale Sanitarium in California on August 8, 1963. Their mother, Rebecca Bartley, is only 16 years old at the time of delivery, and their father William is 19. The boys, who share a liver and part of a large intestine, are separated at Los Angeles Children's Hospital three days after birth in a three-hour operation. Daniel succumbs to an infection on August 14.

Thoracopagus twins are born to the Posey family of Louisiana on August 12, 1963, but both die at birth.

Thoracopagus twin sisters with a single heart are born in Zagan, Poland on December 13, 1963, to a 22-year-old mother. The girls survive only two days.

Omphalopagus twin boys are born in Frankfurt, Manitoba, on December 31, 1963, and successfully separated on March 7, 1964.

Conjoined girls are born to Elnora Moore of Tehula, Mississippi in 1964. The surviving twin is successfully separated from her stillborn sister.

Craniopagus twin boys, Mark and Michael Richard, are born January 17, 1964, to Mrs. Alfred F. Richard, the wife of an American serviceman, in Naples, Italy. The twins are flown to Chelsea, Massachusetts for evaluation but must be separated in an emergency operation on February 13 after Mark dies of a congenital heart defect. Michael dies two days later.

Conjoined twin girls of unknown type are born in St. Clair, Pennsylvania, on January 29, 1964, but survive only an hour.

Thoracopagus twins are born to Mrs. Adelard Roy, 27, of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario on March 23, 1964. The twins undergo surgical separation two days later but both die.

Yet another pair of craniopagus twin boys is born to an English-South African couple in Cape Town on August 23, 1964, but survives for just four days.

Donald and Ronald Jacquet are born to Carol and Richard Jacquet in Chicago, Illinois, on September 19, 1964. They are conjoined at the abdomen, with connected bladders and intestines, and one boy has no large intestine of his own. An attempt to separate the brothers the next day ends with the deaths of both.

Omphalopagus twin girls are born to "Mrs. S." of Florida on December 1, 1964, but survive only a short while.

Thoraco-omphalopagus twin sisters, Kimberly Marie and Karen Marie Webber, are born to Mr. and Mrs. John Webber of Bay City, Texas on December 8, 1964. The sisters share some major blood vessels and part of their liver and are successfully separated at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston on February 16, 1965.

On May 12, 1965, conjoined sisters Giuseppina and Santina Foglia, born November 6, 1958 as pygopagus twins, were successfully separated. They went on to live normal lives in their home in Asti, Italy.

Thoracopagus twins are born to the Po family of Malaysia on January 8, 1965.

Twin boys, joined at the hips (ischiopagus or pygopagus) are born to a Native Andean woman, Modesta Huayhua Rodriguez, 35, in a remote Peruvian village in March of 1965.

Ruth and Dulce Pantaleón are born to Silvio and Dulce Pantaleón of Piedras, Puerto Rico on March 3, 1965, joined at the chest and abdomen and sharing a five-chambered heart. The sisters are brought to Texas Children's Hospital in Houston for evaluation. While they are being examined, the Catholic Church tries to prevent the surgery, since Ruth would be sacrificed so that Dulce could have the shared heart. Nevertheless, surgical separation is attempted on March 19, but sadly both sisters die.

Conjoined twin girls, attached at the chest and abdomen, are born in Loroux-Bottereau, France, on April 2, 1965.

Stillborn omphalopagus twin girls are born to "Mrs. F." of Florida on April 3, 1965.

Sisters Althea and Dorothea Allen are born to Mr. and Mrs. David Allen of High Point, North Carolina on April 6, 1965. Ischiopagus twins, each baby has her own pair of legs but is extensively joined to her sister in the pelvic region. Separation surgery is performed on November 8, 1965. Sadly, one sister passes away from persistent infection at the age of 2 years. When re-examined in 1989, the surviving twin suffers from lasting complications including scoliosis (curvature of the spine) and lack of sufficient reconstruction of her pelvic anatomy.

Thoracopagus twin girls are born to Mr. and Mrs. Albert Schoener of Port Lavaca, Texas on May 26, 1965. The twins pass away the following day, just six hours after being transferred to the Texas Children's Hospital in Houston.

Thoracopagus twin girls are born to Mr. and Mrs. Walter Poole of Kentucky on September 30, 1965. They are taken to Nashville, Tennessee, with the hopes that a separation operation can save only one of the girls, but both pass away on November 30.

Giovanni and Franco Becattini, omphalopagus twins with one liver, are born to Maria Becattini, 25, in Careggi, Italy on November 5, 1965. Doctors fear that Franco will not survive, and he passes away during an operation to separate the twins a day after their birth.

Thoracopagus twin sisters Mary Ann and Sandy Gail Woody are born in West Virginia on November 30, 1965, but survive for just one day.

In the Philippines, quadruplets, two of whom are conjoined female twins, are born to the Martínez family on December 8, 1965. The conjoined sisters both die.

Omphalopagus twin girls, Sheila Norine and Lisa Marie Mantonya, are born to Robyn and Gerald Mantonya of Hollywood, California on Christmas Day, 1965. The sisters undergo surgery on December 29 to close an omphalocele, and then are separated on December 30 but both die.

Thoracopagus twin girls are born to Mr. and Mrs. Michael Daniels of Fairfield, Connecticut on May 2, 1966. The sisters are set to be evaluated for separation surgery by Dr. Lawrence Pickett of the Yale School of Medicine but sadly die before any tests can be conducted, just twelve days after birth.

Separation is attempted on four-day-old conjoined twin boys from Charlotte, North Carolina on May 29, 1966. The brothers are conjoined at the chest and abdomen and share a liver and pericardium, with their rib cages connected. The poor health of one twin necessitates the operation, and he dies soon after. His brother is declared in "poor condition" after surgery and passes away 24 hours later

Thoraco-omphalopagus twin sisters Crystal Ann and Sherri Lee McGee are born to Mr. and Mrs. Leonard McGee of Guelph, Ontario on June 2, 1966. They share a pericardium but have separate hearts, although each girl's heart is protruding into the other's chest cavity. They are separated September 17 at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children in an operation that ends with the death of Sherri. Crystal survives for a few more years but also dies in childhood.

Thoracopagus twin girls are born to Mr. and Mrs. Richard Kross of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania on August 14, 1966. The sisters survive for four days before simultaneously dying of respiratory failure.

Thoracopagus twin boys are born in Nicosia, Cyprus to a 22-year-old Greek-Cypriot mother on September 10, 1966, but survive for just ten hours.

Omphalopagus sisters Nomawele and Welakazi Siyeopo are born in South Africa on November 12, 1966, and successfully separated November 16.

Karen and Susan Cantrell are born to Dr. and Mrs. James Cantrell of Princeton, New Jersey on November 22, 1966. The omphalopagus twin sisters have separate hearts but share some organs, including a liver, gall bladder, and parts of their intestines. They undergo separation surgery at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on December 12. Susan, who is smaller than her sister and has numerous health problems, dies of a congenital heart defect after surgery, while Karen succumbs to a similar problem the following day.

In 1967 a Scottish child, Guy Martin, is separated from a deceased conjoined twin. The twins are joined at the head and face and Guy requires extensive reconstructive surgery, but today is a healthy, active adult and an avid runner.

Cathy and Connie Mangelson are born to Mr. and Mrs. David Mangelson of Payson, Utah on February 15, 1967. The omphalopagus twin sisters undergo successful separation at the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City soon after birth.

Sylvia and Birgit Nussbaumer are born in Freyung, Bavaria on February 28, 1967. The thoracopagus twin sisters undergo separation on March 16, but only one survives.

Ischiopagus tripus twin brothers named Juan and José are born in Argentina on April 24, 1967.

Ischiopagus tripus twins Sherrie and Sharisse Jones are born in New York on June 15, 1967 and separated on November 13, 1968. The surgery was successful, but Sherrie has since passed away.

Omphalopagus twin sisters Milka and Milica Jovanović are born in Yugoslavia on July 12, 1967.

Craniopagus twins joined at the forehead, Shirley and Catherine O'Hara are born October 6, 1967, to an English-South African family, Mr. and Mrs. Ronald O'Hara of Benoni. They are separated on January 6, 1968 at Johannesburg Children's Hospital. The operation is initially hailed as a success but Catherine dies on July 31.

Fiji's first recorded set of conjoined twins, sisters born joined at the chest and heart, are born on January 9, 1968, but survive just nine hours.

Italian twins Franca and Maria Chiani are born joined at the chest on January 11, 1968, and survive for fifteen days.

In February of 1968, omphalopagus twin sisters Chandra and Charron are born in California. They are successfully separated on April 16.

Thoracopagus twins Nicolete and Sotiria Terteris are born February 18, 1968, to a Greek family living in Australia. The sisters are not separated and both succumb on March 3.

In France, sisters Sandrine and Corine Moriot are born conjoined at the chest and abdomen on April 12, 1968. The girls undergo separation at the age of 3 years on March 25, 1971. Sandrine dies immediately after surgery, while Corine survives another day longer.

Thoracopagus twin girls are born to the Lucy family on the Caribbean island of Tobago in July of 1968, and both pass away on July 21. Sadly, the mother dies in childbirth.

On July 9, 1968, twin girls Blanche and Irene Bessari are born in the French-speaking West African country of Togo. Joined at the hips (either pygopagus or ischiopagus), Blanche and Irene are taken to France, where they are separated on August 12. Blanche dies two weeks after surgery.

Thoracopagus twin sisters with one heart are born in Tampa, Florida on July 25, 1968. They are surgically separated in a five-hour operation on July 8 after one girl passes away, but the second twin dies as well the following day.

Thoracopagus twin sisters are born to an unnamed 20-year-old mother in Berlin on August 30, 1968.

Thoracopagus twin girls are born in Lincoln, England on August 16, 1968 and transferred to London's Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, where they survive for just one day before dying of heart failure.

Conjoined twins are born to the Van Dijk family of the Netherlands on August 19, 1968.

In Wisconsin, Suzette and Rose Assmann are born on August 22, 1968. Joined at the head, they pass away on September 7 and 8, 1968.

Thoracopagus twin girls are born to the Reese family of New York on September 9, 1968.

Conjoined twin boys are born in England on September 29, 1968. They undergo separation the same day, but one dies.

Thoracopagus twin girls are born in Vietnam on November 15, 1968 and are separated by United States military surgeons on November 28.

On November 25, 1968, thoracopagus twin girls are born prematurely to Eleanor and Hubert Hopkins of Jasper, Indiana. The sisters share a heart and both have cleft palates. They survive for only one day.

Thoraco-omphalopagus twin girls are born to the Swarts family of South Africa on December 10, 1968. The sisters are separated on December 18 but both die in surgery.

Conjoined twin girls born to a 16-year-old West Virginia girl pass away on December 18, 1968. They had been born earlier that year.

In the late 1960's conjoined twin sisters, Ganga and Jamuna Mondal, are born in India. They have separate heads, hearts and lungs, but are joined at the stomach and share a single liver, fused bowel track and a single genital. The still-living twin sisters travel together as part of the Dreamland Circus in India. One of the twins gives birth to a baby girl in the mid 1990's, but the baby dies shortly after its birth.

Thoracopagus twin girls sharing a heart and liver are born in Spain on January 1, 1969.

Omphalopagus twin boys are born to a 16-year-old girl at Mobile General Hospital, Mobile, Alabama on January 6, 1969, and undergo separation on January 20.

Omphalopagus twin girls, named Shirley and Judy by their American doctors, are born in Tay Ninh Province, Vietnam on February 20, 1969, and successfully separated one day later by U.S. Army surgeons at Vung Tao one day after birth.

On March 11, 1969, Mrs. Lenvain-duRulf, of Zottegem, Belgium, gives birth to thoracopagus twin girls. The sisters survive for only 24 hours.

Craniopagus twin girls are born in Nevada in April of 1969.

Omphalopagus twin boys are born to the Rodríguez family of the Dominican Republic on June 9, 1969, and undergo separation the following day.

Conjoined twin girls are born to Mr. and Mrs. J.T. Nicholson of Burns Lake, British Columbia on October 12, 1969. The girls, attached at the chest, are flown to Vancouver for evaluation soon after their birth.

Thoracopagus twin girls are born to an unnamed 28-year-old mother in Middlesborough, England, on October 19, 1969, but both pass away the next day.

Omphalopagus twins Maureen Ann and Marie Elizabeth Kobierski are born in Danvers, Massachusetts, on November 23, 1969, and separated at the age of three days. The surgery is successful, although Maureen suffers from cognitive disabilities due to microcephaly and passes away in 2003 of pneumonia.

[Back to Chronological Timeline of Conjoined Twins Timeline]