Siamese Twins: Ohio Conjoined Twins Outlive Famous Thai Pair
A pair of conjoined twins in Ohio celebrated making history Saturday. Donnie and Ronnie Galyon of Beavercreek, Ohio, surpassed the lifespan of the original "Siamese Twins" at 62 years, 8 months and 8 days.
"Siamese Twins" Chang and Eng Bunker, who lived from 1811 to 1874. The pair was born in Siam, now Thailand, where there namesake originated.
The Galyons' hometown, Dayton, Ohio, hosted a block party for the pair Saturday afternoon. Currently, they live with their younger brother Jim and his wife Mary in his home.
"They are talking about it constantly, day in and day out," Jim Galyon told Dayton Daily News. "They've been marking their calendar off every day, counting down to the day, so it's a huge life event for Donnie and Ronnie."
Donnie and Ronnie are joined at the sternum and share several vital organs. This became an issue when Ronnie contracted a viral infection, which affected Donnie's health as well.
Jim Galyon said his older brothers traveled with his father and sometimes their seven siblings in "human oddity" shows across the country and even into Latin America until the 1970s.
"They were on the road from [age] 4 to 40," Jim Galyon said. "They did their time."
Now the Galyons want to make it to their 63 birthday, which would tie them to another historical feat. According to the Guinness World Records, Italian conjoined twins Giacomo and Giovanni Battista Tocci lived to be 63. Ronnie and Donnie turn 63 in October.
The Dayton Daily News reached out to Guinness, and a spokeswoman told the newspaper that they plan on recognizing the twins with the title on their birthday.
"It's what me and Donnie's always dreamed about, and we hope to get the ring, because we've dreamed about getting this since we were kids," Ronnie Galyon said.
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