Twin Doctors Return to Their Roots: The Remarkable Journey from Poverty to Healing

Identical twins who grew up in poverty are now co-running an emergency room in the same Virginia hometown they grew up in, according to a report.

Drs. Travan and Travis Jasper became co-directors of Chippenham’s emergency department in Richmond in April — roughly 40 years after their traumatic experience as 12-year-olds inspired them to become doctors, CBS reported.

The two brothers grew up without running water and sometimes without food as some of the poorest children in their neighborhood in the state’s capital.

“We had no running water,” Travan Jasper told the outlet. “We used to go and get water from like one of the parks.  And we were hungry, hungry literally and hungry for success. Because for us, that was the only way we were going to get out.”

The twins’ path out of poverty became clear when their uncle, who was an alcoholic, was hospitalized at a since-shuttered hospital in Richmond, the outlet reported.

Travan and Travis were frightened by the experience and needed comfort, but the doctor was instead dismissive and insisted his uncle was getting what he deserved, they recalled.

“We talked about it out in the hallway,” Travan Jasper said, referring to a vow they made to do better than their uncle’s doctor.

“And I think we have,” Travis Jasper added.

The brothers went on to graduate from their high school as co-valedictorians, graduate from undergrad at Stanford, and attend medical school at the University of Chicago.

Now, four decades later, the pair have returned to Richmond to fulfill their promise.

The Jaspers are the only twins leading a hospital department in the HCA Healthcare system’s capital division, which has 18 hospitals in Virginia and New Hampshire, ABC News reported in January.

HCA Healthcare’s Chippenham Hospital CEO Lance Jones told the outlet that the brothers — who share a commitment to “clinical excellence” — are a massive “asset” to the hospital.

“Their shared commitment to clinical excellence, collaboration and compassionate care reflects our mission to care for and improve human life,” Jones said. 

“By treating every patient with the same attention, respect and support they would want for their own family members, they help ensure our emergency department delivers exceptional care when it matters most.”

Outside the hospital, Travis and Traven are dads to a combined eight children and also work with a youth basketball organization.

“To be here, it’s amazing,” Travis Jasper told CBS News. “And I don’t think I could have dreamt it 40-some years ago.” 

“I think all of the stuff that we went through, all of the negative days, made us who we are now,” he said.