[1] They were the first twins to be successfully separated by Ben Carson, a neurosurgeon assisted by Donlin M. Long of Baltimore, Maryland.
According to a 2015 Washington Post article, Patrick remained completely mute; he "had a setback in the Baltimore hospital when he choked on a piece of food, going without oxygen for a short time" and later died "sometime in the last decade".
[3] The Washington Post reported that Peter Parlagi, the twins' uncle, said their father was emotionally unable ever to handle them or share in their care.
[2] In a 1993 interview, their mother, Theresia Binder, described guilt for agreeing to the operation that ruined the boys' prospect of ever having any quality of life.
[2] According to The Washington Post's 2015 interview with Parlagi, Benjamin never learned to speak or feed himself, but he does enjoy visitors, and being taken for walks.