The Hilton Siamese Twins
This story about these twins who were sold at birth by their mother tells a story that few of us would ever be able to imagine. Eventually these twins became stars on the stage and in movies. It is likely that the woman who bought them was thinking about how lucrative it would be to have these unique girls in the 1920's. For years these twins were sensational and made a lot of money but had lots of trouble getting married because it would have been considered poligomy. As they become older they got less and less popular. They even started to drink too much. These women knew what it was like to be different and to be treated differently. People took advantage of them and eventually when they became unpopular they were not prepared to do any kind of normal work. All their life they had been robbed of their money by men who promoted them. At last they lost their shimmer and ended up working in a grocery store.
As they aged they simply faded away but yet people would come to see them at the store because they were unique. At the store they continued to entertain and startle some people. They continued to be joined and continued to live a semi normal life. As adults they were offered to be seperated because as it turns out they were not joined by any vital organs but they refused just as their adopted mother had refused when offered this option when they were little girls. In the documentary they retired in a small town where people accepted them and where they were loved. It no longer mattered that they were siamese twins. They lives more of a normal life. At one point finally one of the twins died who had decided to not have any medical asssitance. So one twin died and shortly afterwards, a couple of days later the other twin died. They wanted to go together, one not wanting to live without the other one. They were even buried in one grave and in one coffin.
As sad as this story was about these twins and how people took advantage of them, it truly teaches us all a lesson about life. Here these two women kept an optimistic attitude and lived a life joined physically becoming stars and living the most normal life they could. Many of us cannot be happy under normal circcumstances as I watched this documentary it gave me pause and food for thought. What a wonderful life I have had but more importantly what a wonderful life I could still have even with a colostomy and even with my health issues. What a great life I can continue to have for as long as I can live it and live it with gratitude in my heart. Like those twins lived their lives joyfully and most fully even given their circumstances and experiences, each marrying a different gay man in their life time and only for a short while. This documentary called "Bound By Flesh" gave me a reason to think about how lucky I am to live in this era and to be free of some of the stigma that these women dealt with in a graceful manner and with dignity. We who are "normal" and who complaiin of our own simple little plights and they who went through years and years of life joined together and possibly feeling discomfort along the way. It made me want to as I say "be more of who I am".
Elliott Collazo Gonzalez
As they aged they simply faded away but yet people would come to see them at the store because they were unique. At the store they continued to entertain and startle some people. They continued to be joined and continued to live a semi normal life. As adults they were offered to be seperated because as it turns out they were not joined by any vital organs but they refused just as their adopted mother had refused when offered this option when they were little girls. In the documentary they retired in a small town where people accepted them and where they were loved. It no longer mattered that they were siamese twins. They lives more of a normal life. At one point finally one of the twins died who had decided to not have any medical asssitance. So one twin died and shortly afterwards, a couple of days later the other twin died. They wanted to go together, one not wanting to live without the other one. They were even buried in one grave and in one coffin.
As sad as this story was about these twins and how people took advantage of them, it truly teaches us all a lesson about life. Here these two women kept an optimistic attitude and lived a life joined physically becoming stars and living the most normal life they could. Many of us cannot be happy under normal circcumstances as I watched this documentary it gave me pause and food for thought. What a wonderful life I have had but more importantly what a wonderful life I could still have even with a colostomy and even with my health issues. What a great life I can continue to have for as long as I can live it and live it with gratitude in my heart. Like those twins lived their lives joyfully and most fully even given their circumstances and experiences, each marrying a different gay man in their life time and only for a short while. This documentary called "Bound By Flesh" gave me a reason to think about how lucky I am to live in this era and to be free of some of the stigma that these women dealt with in a graceful manner and with dignity. We who are "normal" and who complaiin of our own simple little plights and they who went through years and years of life joined together and possibly feeling discomfort along the way. It made me want to as I say "be more of who I am".
Elliott Collazo Gonzalez
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