The tragic fate of the Dion quintuplets

80 years ago, on May 28, 1934, five famous Canadian twin girls were born in a small village in the north of Ontario in the 7th month. The Dion sisters were the first quintuplets to survive. Their story has become a public and a constant topic in the media. The Canadian government made a lot of money on the Dion sisters.

Many books have been written about their tragic fate and several films have been made. Read about the amazing yet sad story of the first surviving quintuplets.

12 PHOTOS

1. Mom - Elzire Dion - and her five daughters, May 28, 1934.

Almost immediately after the birth, five girls were taken away from their parents. The state considered that poor and illiterate parents were not able to raise them, in addition, the Dion couple had more children. The doctor offered to take the girls away from their parents, who helped them to come into the world, but not because he was very worried about them. He was only concerned about his own popularity and the opportunity to earn as much money as possible from the twins' story.

2. Sisters: Anette, Cecile, Emily, Marie and Yvonne in 1936.

Until the age of 8, the Dion sisters lived on the Defoe farm converted into a mini-hospital and were under the care of scientists working there.

3. The Dion sisters are given gifts at the Defoe farm.

Defoe's farm could be visited by everyone. Every day, several thousand people came to stare at the quintuplets. The girls, under the supervision of nurses, played on what looked like a playground, around which, behind a net, an observation deck was built for onlookers. The kids were like animals in the zoo.

4. Grand opening of a mini-hospital on the farm Defoe.

Admission was free for visitors, but the Canadian government made a lot of money by selling a wide variety of quintuplet merchandise. The sisters never received the money. According to estimates, the Canadian government earned about $ 500 million from twin girls. With this money, the province of Ontario was able to get out of the economic crisis.

5. Sisters Dion in May 1943, a few days before her 9th birthday.

The girls lived in isolation from the world. They had expensive toys, fashionable clothes, and the best care from doctors and nurses. However, they were deprived of contact with their parents and communication with their brothers and sisters, as well as with peers.

6. 16-year-old sisters Dion after visiting the hairdresser, October 19, 1950.

The quintuplets were brought up very strictly. For the smallest offenses, little girls who were only a few years old were locked in solitary confinement.

7. 16-year-old sisters at the Waldorf Astoria in New York, October 19, 1950.

The girls starred in various commercials, mainly for cosmetics and food. Each of their birthdays was celebrated with the participation of the media.

8. Sisters Dion in New York, October 21, 1950.

The girl's mother struggled for 9 years for their return to the family. And she succeeded, and the quintuplets were returned to their parents. However, after so many years of separation, it was impossible to build normal family relationships. Other children from the Dion family were never able to accept their long-absent twin sisters. Moreover, for the girls themselves, accustomed to prosperity, it turned out to be not so easy to live in a very modest environment.

9. Twin sisters with their father at the Rockefeller Center in New York, October 20, 1950.

After their eighteenth birthday, the girls left their home and broke off all contact with their family, who also tried to take advantage of their popularity and make money on them.

10. Sisters Dion at a press conference in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The girls' parents failed to provide proper medical care for Emily, who had epilepsy. She died at the age of 20.

11. Dion's quintuplets on a poster, 1938

12. Three sisters: Yvonne, Annette, and Cecile with their autobiography Family Secrets, October 2, 1950.

Already adult Dion sisters sued and received compensation from the state in the amount of $ 4 million. “It’s too late and too little for our ruined lives,” commented the famous quintuplets. Two of the sisters live to this day.