Surgery On Multi-Limbed Girl A Success

Doctors In India Say 2-Year-Old Is Safe And Stable After 24-Hour Operation

(CBS/AP)  An extensive operation on a 2-year-old girl born with four arms and four legs went "wonderfully well" doctors said Wednesday as they announced that she is safe and stable after more than 24 hours of surgery.

A team of 30 doctors successfully removed the child's extra limbs, salvaged her organs, and rebuilt her pelvis area, Dr. Sharan Patil said Wednesday from a Bangalore hospital.

"Beyond our expectations, the reconstruction worked wonderfully well," Patil said.

The girl, named Lakshmi, had been revered by some in her village as the reincarnation of a Hindu goddess.

Lakshmi was born joined to a "parasitic twin" that stopped developing in the mother's womb. The surviving fetus absorbed the limbs, kidneys and other body parts of the undeveloped fetus.

The doctors worked through the night to remove the extra limbs and organs, surgery that doctors say will give her a good chance to live past adolescence. The procedure included separating the fused spines along with removing the extra limbs and the rest of the "parasite," said Patil, the orthopedic surgeon leading the operation.

Children born with deformities in deeply traditional rural parts of India, like the remote village in the northern state of Bihar that Lakshmi hails from, are often viewed as reincarnated gods. The young girl is no different - she is named after the four-armed Hindu goddess of wealth.

"Everybody considers her a goddess at our village," said her father, Shambhu, who goes by one name. "All this expenditure has happened to make her normal. So far, everything is fine."

[rational_1]

Kinda puts your own problems into perspective, doesn''t it? Best wishes to her and her parents.

[antoniof123]

Kinda puts your own problems into perspective, doesn''''t it? Best wishes to her and her parents.

Posted by rational_1 at 09:40 AM : Nov 06, 2007

Yes, it does and it makes me very happy that my kids are healthy.

[oleander8]

What an amazing story - I just hope we get the follow-up.

[shanev137]

So much for the "Intelligent Design" theory.

[rushman71]

''Cause she''s a superfreak, superfreak, she''s superfreaky......

[flipantflaw]

gws

[rf35]

So much for the "Intelligent Design" theory.


Posted by shanev137 at 11:07 AM : Nov 06, 2007

NICE! I do hope she survives, though, and with a high quality of life. I also hope her parents don''t try to have more children...there are likely some genetic issues here.

[bogusbones]

At least she was born with a brain, more that our President got when he was born.

[tcoleman12]

Surely they aren''t going to perform these surgeries in the "run down" US Healthcare system.
Why not take her to Cuba or Canada and put her in line for the myriad of operations she will need. She may be finished by the time she is 30.

[hawksprings]

"So much for the "Intelligent Design" theory."
Posted by shanev137

Well shane, if this is the result of Evolution, then maybe she''s a higher evolved form of human.
They should have left her alone, survival of the fittest and all.

[ladyjaneg]

Poor little thing, I hope she makes it through the surgery and can leanr to walk and run and jump and dance.
Just to be clear, in the article, they said it was her win fused into her---that''s not genetic.
Eitehr way, I hope she will be okay---she looks liek such a sweetheart!

[ladyjaneg]

Sorry about all of the typos....my fingers don''t listen ;)

[differnet]

tcoleman12,

Maybe you should read the story. The surgery is being performed in Bangalore, India.

[nothappyatall]

"Dr Patil Mamatha said the hospital''s foundation was paying for the surgeries because her family could not afford the medical bills. "

If yu can''t afford YOUR kids don''t have them in the first place expecting the rest of US to foot your bills.

From the article she will be basically an invalid body with a brain, 40 hours and 30 surgeons tied up who could be out performing surgery on 30- 100 other people.
India is way overpopulated, let this one go.

[jetlizhan]

what a beautiful little girl! i hope the very best for her and her family. i''d never heard of this medical condition before reading this.

[jetlizhan]

newster1

you are such a downer. maybe they could afford the child, they just can''t afford this monstrous medical bill - who could?? also, it''s not in stone that she''ll be an invalid. there''s always this one thing called HOPE. ever heard of it, mr. pessimist?

[kero_girl]

There is no place in this world for selfish callousness, such as those heartless comments posted below. It is far easier to distance oneself from those less fortunate and blame them for their predicament than it is to show kind compassion and extend some help. Any of us are just a breath away from needing extraordinary help in some way or another. Your day just isn''t today if you''re lucky.

[ladyjaneg]

Newster, your cold-hearted word disgust me, and I know I''m not the only one who is digusted by your words. Her parents could be financially stable enough to have children for sure, it''s just a very expensive surgery. AND it''s not even being done in the USA--so don''t worry about your money being used. As for everything else you said, I beg to know what position you are in to think that what you said was acceptable. Of course, what I''d REALLY love to know is if you could say what you wrote to that little girl''s sweet face, looking into those big brown eyes.

[rf35]

The photo begs the questions:
Which of the legs are hers and which are the parasitic twin''s?

Does she have motor control over all eight?

[mitywhity]

I feel like dirt...I just sat and gawked at someone''s misfortune.

[karma1231]

I agree LadyJane, newster would never say those things if he/she wasn''t hiding behind a computer screen. Coward. Where is your compassion?

[ladyjaneg]

I agree LadyJane, newster would never say those things if he/she wasn''''t hiding behind a computer screen. Coward. Where is your compassion?


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Posted by karma1231 at 03:18 PM : Nov 06, 2007


Exactly. I''d love to know if Newster could actually say those things right to her face, looking into her eyes. May God be with this child.

[agarwal1]

newster1
newster1
newster1


I WOULD FIRST PUT A BIG POT IN FIRE.
WILL POUR A LOT OF OIL IN IT.

THEN WILL HEAT UP THE OIL UNTILL IT BOILS.

... THEN PUT "newster1" LEFT HAND INSIDE THE BURNING OIL FOR 1 MINUTE... AND TAKE IT OUT

..... THEN PUT newster1 LEFT LEG IN BOILING OIL FOR 1 MINUTE. AND TAKE IT OUT

..... THEN PUT newster1 LEFT LEG INTO BOILING OIL FOR 3 MINUTES...

.... THEN TAKE THE BURNING OIL INTO SOME POT AND SPLASH THE BOILING OIL IN newster1 FACE... AND REPEAT THIS PROCEDURE FOR 6 TIMES.

.... Now I feel better !!!

newster1, YOU WILL ROTTEN IN HELL EXACTLY SAME WAY I DESCRIBED!!!

[ckcool192001]

Newster, I feel sorry for you. You are cold hearted. Number one, you can ask any parent, you don''t wait till you can afford to have kids...if you do you''ll never have them.

Right parents?

Second, If you had actually taken the time to read the story carefully you would have found that the surgery is being performed at the Sparsh Hospital in Bangalore, India. This means that if you are worried about your tax dollars going to pay for her operation, don''t...acutally the hospital is paying for her operation.

Please read more carefully next time. And before you make such cold hearted comments take a minute and ask yourself what would it be like to be her parents. I''m sure they did not forsee this type of surgery being neccessary.

[agarwal1]

The photo begs the questions:
Which of the legs are hers and which are the parasitic twin''''s?

Does she have motor control over all eight?


------------------------------------------------------
Posted by rf35 at 03:10 PM : Nov 06, 2007


I have the same question. Seems like her other legs/hands are just not moving.

May God bless her entire her life. My all sincere wishes go for her.

[ladyjaneg]

I don''t know which are the twin''s limbs nad which are her own, but she doesn''t have motor control over all eight, I think. The article said that the doctor weren''t clear over whether she''ll ever be able to stand or walk. So I really don''t know.....maybe someday. :)

[ladyjaneg]

I meant and* not nad. Sorry, my mistake.

[shanev137]

God bless her....give me a freaken break.

What the hell kind of God would create a child this way.

[ladyjaneg]

I don''t know; I''m not God. But maybe, and again, I don''t know, maybe she has a purpose beyond what we can see. And if you took offense to the God comment, than I am sorry; I meant no offense.

[rushman71]

shanev137: He created you, as He created every single person on the face of the earth!!! So, do you have a problem with what He created?

[alphaa10-2009]

It''s wonderful Indian locals can revere a charming little girl with a birth "defect" that appears no dire threat to her survival-- if she survives the corrective surgery, itself.

The question of etiology never addressed by the article should interest the rest of us, nonetheless, not to mention the epidemiologists of India and elsewhere.

Lakshmi, the little girl of this story, happens to live in Bangalore (Mumbai), and her parents daily ingest a thick soup of chemical pollutants from Bangalore''s booming electronics industry. Anyone who knows the pollutants routinely involved does not presume the local birth defect rate will remain unchanged. Likewise, for the respiratory disease and cancer rate.

Typical of industrial areas of India and China, industrial policy frequently trumps public health policy. Although we tend to look down our noses at such "third world" attitudes, it was only 50 years ago Rachel Carson was dismissed by some of our conservatives as an alarmist. Indeed she was an alarmist, but for all the right reasons.

Has our national anti-pollution policy really matured over the last 50 years?

[rushman71]

LadyJaneG: don''t apologize for what you believe in. I strongly believe in God, and stand against anyone who spit and sputter words against our God!!!

[angelfish71]

I cannot believe how cold hearted so many people can be, espeically toward and innocent child. This little girl cannot help that she was born this way. This is something that no one had any control over. No matter how much money a "normal" parent has they most likely would not be abel to afford an operation like this. When I was 15 I had a growth in my heart, that if not removed I would have died, were my parents supposed to just let me die if they could not have afforded the surgery--which was upwards of 200,000 dollars way back in 1986--luckily my parents had insurance that covered most of the expense. No child should have to die if they can be saved, no matter where they live or how much money they have.

[shanev137]

It''s amazing how people always have to drag God into something like this.....go ahead and quote the Bible for us on this one you freaken bozos....go ahead and tell us how an 8-limbed girl is "God''s perfect will".

[ladyjaneg]

It''''s amazing how people always have to drag God into something like this.....go ahead and quote the Bible for us on this one you freaken bozos....go ahead and tell us how an 8-limbed girl is "God''''s perfect will".


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Posted by shanev137 at 04:30 PM : Nov 06, 2007

Nobody is quoting the Bible. And you are the one calling names. Who is the bozo?

I don''t want to offend anyone more than I have by saying that may God bless her---- I just want to say that I really feel for this poor little girl and hope that the surgery is a miraculous success.

[shanev137]

Yea, pray really hard so God will decide to correct his mistake...because you prayed so hard.

Fools.

[ladyjaneg]

Shane, dearest, I''ve already apologized for offending you. Am I safe to assume you are not calling me a fool too?

[shanev137]

Hell. That''s funny. Hey Pundit, how can you condemn me to place that doesn''t even exist? hahahaha Let me guess, you think if you pray really hard, your God will send me to your "hell" right? And you call yourself a Christian.

Shut your mouth and take your meds you hate-filled whackjob.

[ladyjaneg]

okaaaay....fine. I guess you are still calling me a fool. whatever, I''m going to just keep saying what I''ve been saying before. I hope this little girl pulls through the surgery safe and sound. Hopefully she can work with physiotherapy and she will earn to walk!! I have so much hope for this little girl and her parents.

[fibonacci_]

How dare god do this.

[shanev137]

Hey Pundit...you should stop trying to quote Jesus.

LadyJane...sure we''d all like to see her recover from the surgery, but what''s God got to do with it, really.

[sjw1253]

It is sickening to read the ignorant comments on this board about an inocent child. I am wondering if some of you are kids on a playground being cruel to someone who is different from you.

The issue here is that the child was a conjoined twin that is not a hereditary trait. The great benefit of her situation is that the parents are not being put into a position of choosing which child should survive.

The decision was made in utero...

There are many ways to look at this - but if the child were yours or a realative''s - you would definitely wish to find a way to make her well.

She clearly has a fully functioning brain and it sounds quite promising if she survives the surgeries that she may lead a good life.

Please don''t make such disgusting comments regarding such a misfortune for a precious child...

No matter what your religion - we all have our purposes and the affordability of children has already been addressed by others...

Just be real and don''t think you are being funny when you make such ignorant comments.

[knico22]

OK after reading the comments typed.. really guys what does it matter what religion you are .. your missing the BIG picture....this little girl who has done nothing to anyone is hurting .. i think we should all pray for her ..or dont take a monent of silence or whatever it is you do and be thankful for the life you have.

[rf35]

According to the local Hindus, she may actually be the incarnation of a god, or rather goddess. Perhaps this operation is sacrilege to them. And is naming her %u201CLakshmi%u201D proper? Isn%u2019t that like naming a Christian child %u201CJehovah%u201D or %u201CYahweh%u201D?

[toolmangler-2009]

How dare god do this.
Posted by fibonacci_ at 05:03 PM : Nov 06, 2007


Don''t you know, God turned our lives over to us when he ran us out of the garden. This is one of the hazards of insisting that we have control of our own lives..

[korinsha]

Uhm... did anyone even look at the deformity? So what if some backwards people think a child cursed with a parasitic twin "sacred"? What, should they let her live a nonfunctional life with a headless body between her legs and mangled organs because someone things this unfortunate girl is the incarnation of a goddess? Ugh, thankfully her family and medical professionals aren''t that dumb. Removing a parasitic twin is tough, but her chances are good from what I read. I''ll wish her a safe recovery, and I''ll also thank her parents for hiding her away instead of exploiting her to the circus that wanted her. They were poor and they didn''t try to profit from their daughter; good for them!

[hypnotoad72]

A caste-driven country that gleefully engages in "Selective abortions" because women are seen as inferior... I''m amazed they''re letting this girl have the operation; as many would otherwise think she''s Vishnu reincarnated and therefore untouchable on pain of death or being turned into a pillar of salt or something...

I sincerely do wish the best for that girl. That picture of her at the top; she''s bright and will hopefully live a long and prosperous life.

[shanev137]

Whatever. 20 years ago nobody would have even known who this girl was, let alone got 50 people to operate on her.

The loving God that you all pray to creates children with birth defects everyday.

Big deal.

[toolmangler-2009]

Yea, pray really hard so God will decide to correct his mistake...because you prayed so hard.
Fools.
Posted by shanev137 at 04:42 PM : Nov 06, 2007


You would be the fool ''IF'' you believed that GOD made a mistake. In my estimation Man is the only mistake that GOD might have made. I am praying for this child but the outcome is still up to man, not GOD. The child is his if she doesn''t make it so her future is secure. GOD still has the option of a miracle if he feels it might help someone come to him, but he doesn''t have to. The choice is ours.

[toolmangler-2009]

The loving God that you all pray to creates children with birth defects everyday.
Big deal.
Posted by shanev137 at 06:54 PM : Nov 06, 2007


You still don''t understand do you? New life is the ''ONLY'' thing that man creates. everything else that man does is only manipulation of stuff that GOD has ''already made''. Man created this child, not GOD. Although he ''knew'' who she was while she was still in the womb. Man made her, now ists up to man to help her in all ways needed.