Emilie Dionne was one of the five Dionne quintuplets, who became famous after being the first known quintuplets to survive their infancy. Born on May 28, 1934, in Corbeil, Ontario, Canada, she and her sisters were the subject of intense public attention and exploitation by the Canadian government and the media. Emilie Dionne died at the age of 20, alone in her convent bed, after being smothered by her pillow during an epileptic seizure. What led to her tragic death and what was her life like as a quintuplet?
Contents
The Birth of the Dionne Quintuplets
Emilie and her sisters, Annette, Cecile, Yvonne, and Marie, were born to poor farmers, Oliva and Elzire Dionne, who already had five older children. The quintuplets were premature and weighed only 14 pounds together. They were delivered by Dr. Allan Roy Dafoe, who diagnosed Elzire with a “fetal abnormality” and suspected that she had passed a sixth fetus in her third month of pregnancy
The quintuplets were a medical miracle, as they were the first known case of identical quintuplets who survived their infancy. They were also a national sensation, as they attracted the attention of the Canadian government, the media, and the public. The Dionne family was soon overwhelmed by the offers and demands of various people who wanted to profit from the quintuplets.
The Exploitation of the Dionne Quintuplets
When the quintuplets were four months old, the Ontario government passed the Dionne Quintuplets’ Guardianship Act, 1935, which made them wards of the Crown until the age of 18. The government claimed that it was protecting the quintuplets from possible exploitation by their parents and others, but in reality, it was exploiting them itself
The government built a hospital and a nursery for the quintuplets, called Quintland, near their family home. The quintuplets were separated from their parents and siblings and placed under the care of nurses and doctors, who constantly subjected them to medical tests and examinations. They were also exposed to the public, who could watch them through one-way windows. Quintland became the largest tourist attraction in Canada, attracting about 3 million visitors between 1934 and 1943. The government and the businesses associated with the Dionne case earned about half a million dollars from the quintuplets, while the quintuplets themselves received nothing
The quintuplets were also used as advertising tools for various products, such as soap, cereal, and dolls. They appeared in several movies, such as The Country Doctor, Five of a Kind, and Reunion. They had no privacy, no freedom, and no normal childhood. They were treated as objects, not as human beings.
The Return of the Dionne Quintuplets
After nine years of legal battles, the Dionne parents regained custody of the quintuplets in 1943. However, the reunion was not a happy one. The quintuplets had grown estranged from their family and felt alienated in their own home. They were also subjected to verbal, physical, and sexual abuse by their parents and brothers, according to their later testimonies
The quintuplets left their family home as soon as they turned 18 and tried to start their own lives. However, they faced many difficulties and challenges, such as financial problems, health issues, and failed marriages. They also suffered from psychological trauma and emotional scars from their childhood experience.
The Death of Emilie Dionne
Emilie Dionne was the first of the quintuplets to die. She had always been the most fragile and sensitive of the sisters, and she suffered from epilepsy since childhood. She also had a strong religious faith and wanted to become a nun. In 1952, she joined the Sisters of the Holy Rosary in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec, as a postulant
On August 6, 1954, Emilie Dionne died in her convent bed, after being smothered by her pillow during an epileptic seizure. She was 20 years old. An autopsy revealed that the cause of death was epileptic fits and congestion of the lungs
Emilie Dionne’s death was a shock and a sorrow for her sisters and the public. She was buried in the Sacred Heart Cemetery in Corbeil, Ontario, where her sisters later joined her. Marie Dionne died in 1970, Yvonne Dionne died in 2001, and Cecile and Annette Dionne are still alive as of 2023.
Emilie Dionne’s life and death are a reminder of the tragic fate of the Dionne quintuplets, who were born as a miracle, but lived as a spectacle. They were deprived of their human rights, their family bonds, and their personal dignity. They were the victims of a cruel and greedy system that exploited them for profit and entertainment. They deserve to be remembered not as a curiosity, but as a tragedy.
