Tuesday 30 December 2014

See the world's longest living conjoined twins celebrate their 63rd birthday.


Ronnie and Donnie Galyon may be the world's oldest conjoined twins, but when they celebrated their 63rd birthday recently, they decided to keep it young — with a trip to Florida's amusement parks.
The Galyon twins, of Ohio, unofficially reached the milestone the day after they turned 63 on Oct. 28.
They beat out the previous record held for more than seven decades by Giacomo and Giovanni Battista Tocci, who were born in Italy in 1877 and lived to be 63.
Meet Ronnie and Donnie Galyon, the world's unofficial oldest-living conjoined twins. They celebrated their 63rd birthday in October

From the age of four, the twins supported their family by performing in carnival sideshows in the U.S. and circuses throughout Central and South America.
When they tried to return to school, teachers told them to leave because they were too distracting to the other students.



They retired in 1991 aged 39 and moved to Beavercreek to be close to Jim, who is younger by 11 years.

The twins lived in a hospital until their second birthday in 1953 (right) while doctors tried to figure out how to separate them. When the split seemed dangerous, their parents decided they should stay as they were

The twins live outside Dayton, Ohio with their younger brother Jim (pictured in July)
Ronnie and Donnie (pictured in July) supported their family from the age of four by performing in carnival sideshows in the U.S. and circuses throughout Central and South AmericaJim and his wife Mary, who share a house with Ronnie and Donnie, enjoy a sunny July day with Ronnie and Donnie (file photo)
Jim and his wife Mary, who share a house with Ronnie and Donnie, enjoy a sunny July day with Ronnie and Donnie (file photo)
The Galyon brothers spent the birthday visiting Disney World and Busch Gardens.
At Christmas, there was a tree and plenty of presents in the living room of the house Ronnie and Donnie share with their brother Jim and his wife, Mary.
'We have a lot to be grateful for,' Jim said. 'They are really healthy.'
The twins are yet to receive their official certificate from the Guinness World Records confirming they're the longest-living conjoined twins in history.
Ronnie and Donnie are joined at the waist and face each other. They have four arms and four legs and separate hearts and stomachs but share a lower digestive tract, a groin, a rectum and penis, over which Donnie has control.
The twins were born healthy in Dayton, Ohio, in October 1951 but stayed in the hospital for two years as doctors tried to figure out how to separate them.
When experts said they could not guarantee both babies would survive an operation to part them, the parents said they would stay as they were.
The men agree that was the best decision.

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