The Schappell twins of Reading, Pennsylvania, are believed to the the oldest living female conjoined twins in the world. They are craniopagus twins, which are joined only at the head and account for only 2% of conjoined twins.

The sisters were born Lori and Dori Schappell on September 18, 1961 and lived in a home for people with severe mental disabilities until they were 24 years old. Because they detested the rhyming names their parents had given them, Dori legally changed her name to Reba, after her hero Reba McEntire. In 2007 she appeared at the opening of the Ripley's Odditorium in Times Square as George Schappell and evidently now prefers to use this name.

Since leaving the institution, Lori and George have made successful careers for themselves as individuals. George is a country singer who won the L.A. Music Award for Best New Country Artist in 1997. She has performed in Germany and Japan, as well as multiple places in the U.S., and sung the National Anthem at the Cabbie vs. Stuttering John fight in May, 2002. Previously she designed support equipment for people with physical handicaps, and designed the specialized wheelchair she uses to get around. She is also a trophy-winning bowler.



Lori works part-time in a hospital laundry but frequently takes time off for her sister's concert dates. With her sharp wit, Lori is the more outspoken of the sisters. Responding to a stranger on the street who ran up and snapped a photo of the twins (with Lori facing them), she said, "You can't take my picture without asking." Then she pointed to George and said "Take her picture, she's in show business!"

The twins frequently appear on talk shows and in documentaries, including the 1998 A&E documentary Face to Face: The Schappell Sisters and The Learning Channel's Separate Lives, a two-hour special about the medical and social history of conjoined twins. They live in an apartment in Reading, Pennsylvania with their pet Chihuahua, who is paralyzed in the back legs and moves around on a wheeled device designed by George.

"We would never do it. (If one of us were to die) we'd be separated ... Then and only then. And then the only reason is because the other one is not there." - Lori Schappell

"Don't assume [our life] is difficult, until we tell you it is." -Lori Schappell