First Ontario quintuplets who received N1.4bn settlement from government share their story (photos)
Five siblings born near North Bay to poor farmers became instant celebrities after they survived their. Due to the fact that they were the first of their kind at the time in Ontario, Canada, the quintuplets became celebrities.
The quintuplets were born on May 28, 1934, to Elzirie and Oliva Dionne. The quintuplets became tourist attractions rivaling Niagara Falls, they were taken from their parents by the government due to poverty.
Onatrio government had cared for them in a hospital complex built for them and people were allowed to view the girls as they played. However, Oliva won back the custody of the girls when they were nine.
According to the girls, their father had moved them into a 19-room mansion after succeeding with his souvenir stand. They also revealed that they were abused by their parents.
Source: UGC
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As adults, the sisters shunned spotlight and tried to live private lives. In March, 1998, three of sisters who were alive had won a settlement of $4 million (N1.4 billion) from the Ontario government.
However, years after the settlement one of the sisters, Cecile, revealed that she was penniless. Cecile had claimed that her third child spent her share of the settlement.
In an interview she did alongside her only surviving sister, Annette, Cecile advised people to make sure they know the people they put in charge of their funds.
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She said: “Make sure you know them well. And it’s difficult to know them. I have no more money. So they put me under curatorship."
Her son Bertrand who is a twin, had bought a $195,000 duplex in his and his mother's names two months after they received te settlement.
Source: UGC
Source: UGC
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According to Montreal Gazette, Bertrand had sold the property for $570,000 and moved his mother into a high-end seniors home. However, few years after the money had stopped coming in from the bank.
Talking about when she first arrived at the seniors home, Cecile said: “But then I told myself, it’s ridiculous to think like that. I said to myself, I just have to get used to it. I got it into my head that I have to do my best to accept it and to get to know the people better. And that helps me. They’re not bad people. At my age, it’s difficult."
Source: UGC
Cecile had revealed that she tried to reach her son but she was unable to contact him. It was gathered that the three sisters had received one million dollars each from the settlement with the last one million to the children of Marie Dionne who died in 1970.
Meanwhile, Annette lives in a pleasant condo. The sisters Cecile ans Annette are close and they speak to each other by phone three to four times a day.
Source: UGC
However, Annette is unable to take care for Cecile who is unable to live independently because of her severe health problems.
Both sisters have had double hip replacements and suffer from macular degeneration but Annette appears sturdier and her vision loss is less advanced.
Source: UGC
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