They fought to have a happy life, though, happy life was hard to be achieved. They were born 25 years ago in Guilan province, Iran. When they were 1, their convulsions started because of genetic problems. They are unable to walk since then. At the same time, they lost their father in an accident. As they became older, their mother was unable to look after them and they were taken to a nursing house for the elderly and disabled. Shima and Shiva were very welcoming to the visitors. they counted on them because they needed their help to leave the nursing home temporarily and to see more of this world. They were not friendly with the staff of the nursing home. They couldn't understand each other because they were always planning to have fun. Furthermore, they didn't neglect their wishes and tried to fulfill them. They couldn’t understand the rules there. They liked sleeping late at night. They believed in all of their rights like to fall in love, travel, and ride their wheelchairs around the city. Authorities in Iran only pay attention to the basic needs of disabled people such as food, clothing, and shelter. That is why these children and other disabled kids are reluctant to think about their future. They can't dream or enjoy their lives. Shima and Shiva were in that critical period of their lives when people become emotionally sensitive and look for love all the time. They knew that living is their obvious right and because they were twins, they resisted more severely not to let others topple their rights. They were a combination of loneliness and togetherness. A combination of happiness and sadness. But suddenly Shima died. She went to bed and never woke up. Shiva is still confused, Shiva doesn't live in the nursing home anymore. She lives with her friends. She can't believe that she lost her closest friend, half of her soul. But she is trying to fight for her lonely life and to achieve all she wants because she knows death is so close
Shima and Shiva love the sea and swimming. They feel happy when they are in water, they fight for simple rights to be like the normal people .
Since 5, Shima and Shiva are kept in the nursing home. These two folders are their dossiers in the nursing home
Shima and Shiva are in that period of their lives when they need love and affection more than any other time. They have friendly social behavior but some men have betrayed them emotionally. The man carrying one of them in this picture had proposed to one of them. A proposal which was never serious
Grandfather’s house is the only place they go when they want to leave behind the sadness of their world. However the grandfather is old and ill these days.
The twins think it's normal to use one toothbrush. Bad habits are not due to lack of money, they have alot of friends to help them for buying alot of toothbrushes, but they think it's normal and one toothbrush is enough. The location is grandpa's bathroom
Ali , one of the nursing home children, plays Daf and sings a song for Golshan's birthday. the other children sing with him
Birthday party. all the time they are planning to have a celebration for their birthday. This day is really important for them. Sometimes at the nursing room, sometimes at the friend's house or at the coffee shop. In this photo , at the end of celebration the nurses told : the time is out and all the guests quickly went to the yard of nursing room, I think They are always alone even at their birthday party between more than 200 guests. but right to the nurses too.. The nursing room is for all patients
In 23t¬h Birthday , they were confused with signs of convulsion.
The only things they have from their past are some pictures which are kept in their grandfather’s album
Shima and Shiva like to look like a queen on their birthday.
Shima and Shiva have tried many times to commit suicide with razor blade , sometimes they would like to say their dissatisfaction with life to others
Shima in the nursing room. Azita , Fateme and Zeinab are 3 other girls in this room.
Shima and Shiva decided to quite school. They are able to write
Shima and Shiva in Rasht nursing house, They are as a mirror of each other
Shims&shiva wish they could share their bed with their mom again and listen to her voice when she sang lullabies for them. each night they sleep with this dream.
Nursing home yard. In addition to the children, there are many old men and women living in the nursing home
Shima on the way to her grandfather’s house in Masal, a small city in Guilan
At the age of fifteen, Leyla gave birth to twins, after one year, in a short,she lost his wife in an accident and also her twins convulsions started. Now, she is mom for 4 children, wife of the other man. A man who don't like the twins. He does not like Leila to give them a lot of time, however Leyla is forced to move like a shadow in her current life and her previous life.
The twins told me: after their first convulsion when they were 1, their father leaves the house sad and confused and he died in an accident. When I went to the cemetery with a family friend of them, she told me that if their father was alive, they wouldn’t have such a hard life
Dad puts the washed dishes in their place, Grandpa is above 70 years old and he is sick these days. He is alone just like Shima and Shiva. He has lost his wife few years ago and he has to accompany.
A portrait of Shima In the bathroom in Their Mother's friend's house in Masal .
They always have a mirror next to them. Shima and Shiva usually likes to look beautiful and do make up.
Some times Shima and Shiva play boocia. They have become champions in the competitions for few times. Recently, they couldn't go to gym due to the transport difficulty from the nursing home
nursing house in Rasht ( north of iran)
One of the most beautiful moments in Shima and Shiva's life is when they go to the beach. They love swimming. When they are in water they don’t think about anything except happiness and enjoying
But anyway suddenly death arrived when no one was expecting it. Shima went to sleep and never woke up again. Right next to her sister. When she was 24. They said she passed away in sleep due to respiratory problems.
Shims&shiva wished they could share their bed with their mom again and listen to her voice when she sang lullabies for them. each night they were sleeping with this dream. But after Shima, sometimes Shiva is allowed to go to her mom ́s place and sleep there.Their mother is sad that Shima couldn't go there for a long time. In this photo Shima is sleeping in her friend's house, Fati. She was telling me about how much she likes to sleep beside her mother and fell asleep.
Seeing Shima's gravestone reassures Shiva, although she can not hold back her tears every time she goes to the cemetery
These days Shiva doesn’t live in the nursing house, most of the time she lives with her friend, Nasibe, and sometimes with another friend, Samira. with the help of friends and her mother to pay the rent. She misses her friends in the nursing house but she can not come back there to live.
Shiva likes to spend time with her friends most of the time, she likes to go to cafes to smoke Ghelyoon.
Shiva still likes to be pretty. She does her hair and nails all the time. Usually, her friends help her to pay the beauty salon expenses.
Shiva is playing with Nasibe ́s dog Jessica. She likes to be kind with her and feeding her.
After Shima, life became so complicated for her sister. She learned that life is so short and death can arrive anytime. Shiva is still a mixture of hope and despair. But nothing in life, not even death, can cause her to forget her human rights.