Identical twin doctors who grew up in poverty returned to their Virginia hometown to co-run an ER

September 25, 2026 / 8:46 PM EDT / CBS News

If you visit the emergency room at Chippenham Hospital in Richmond, Virginia, there's a good chance you might meet one of the Jasper twins.

Drs. Travan and Travis Jasper are co-directors of Chippenham's emergency department. But their story is singular, inspirational and completely improbable.

"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."

Back in their old Richmond neighborhood, the identical twins were some of the poorest children on the block.

"We had no running water," Travan Jasper said. "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."

But they didn't know the path out until middle school.

When the twins were 12, their uncle was hospitalized at a different hospital in Richmond that no longer exists. He was an alcoholic, and his liver was failing. The boys were scared and really needed comfort. But they said the doctor was dismissive and told them their uncle was getting what…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/