Tuesday, 25th July 2006

I was watching the Oprah Winfrey Show this afternoon and i came across something interesting but also heart-wrenching..

Sirenomelia or Mermaid Syndrome is a very rare disorder in which the legs are fused together, giving the appearance of a mermaid. This condition is found in approximately one out of every 100,000 live births (about as rare as conjoined twins) and is usually fatal within a day or two of birth because of complications associated with abnormal kidney and bladder development and function.

Only a handful of cases of patients, who did not have the usual kidney and bladder complications, have survived this condition, two of them being a gal frm USA and Milagros frm Peru. Both were treated with heavy plastic reconstructive surgery

Milagros(Miracle in spanish) was born with her genitals were in her rectum. Doctors could not determine the sex of the baby. Surgeons had to separate her legs and the surgery was being shown all across Peru. Miraculously, the baby gal survived the delicate surgery and according to doctors, she should be able to walk when she grows up.