One of the nation’s first conjoined twins to be successfully separated 40 years ago died of a brain hemorrhage yesterday, his family said.
Chang Chung-jen (張忠仁), 42, the older of the two, collapsed at work on Thursday and died early yesterday morning, his family said.
In 1979, Chang and his brother, Chang Chung-i (張忠義), were Taiwan’s first and the world’s fourth conjoined twins to be successfully separated.
Photo: CNA
According to Chang Chung-jen’s most recent post on Facebook, he had been planning to improve his public speaking skills so that he could share his story with more people this year, the 40th anniversary of their separation.
“I will go on living for my brother,” Chang Chung-i said yesterday, adding that they stood in for each other at work and took care of one another all the time.
Chen Wei-jao (陳維昭), who organized the twins’ surgery and was in charge of their postoperative care, said that Chang Chung-jen’s death was unexpected because no anomalies were found in his most recent medical examination.
The twins were expected to live only until their 20s based on the preoperative assessment, but they were able to lead normal lives, Chen said
The doctor said that Chang Chung-jen’s brain hemorrhage might have been caused by physical exhaustion, as he devoted himself to charity and had been traveling for years, sharing his stories and expressing his gratitude to the public, who donated more than NT$7 million (US$227,679 at the current exchange rate) to help raise the brothers.
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