Toddler with eight limbs, branded 'reincarnation of Hindu god', to undergo life-saving operation

Daily Mail (UK) ^ | 11-05-07

[Larry Lucido]

Amen to that.

[pandoraou812]

~Prayers~

[NonValueAdded]

Save Octavia!

[Nailbiter]

ping

[B-Chan]

Poor little thing. May God (the real One) bless her, her doctors and caregivers, and her family.

[Thermalseeker]

Poor girl looks like she’s got a wicked case of scoliosis, too.

[reagan_fanatic]

May God bless her little soul, for children are precious in the eyes of the Lord.

I hope she makes it OK.

[CarrotAndStick]

Spines of 2-yr-old Lakshmi separated: Doctors

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Spines_of_2-yr-old_Lakshmi_separated_Docs/articleshow/2522918.cms

6 Nov 2007, 1918 hrs IST,PTI

BANGALORE: Doctors at a superspeciality hospital here, who have commenced a complicated surgery on two year-old Lakshmi, a conjoined twin, on Tuesday successfully separated the spines.

“The condition of the child is stable,” doctors said.

A team of neurosurgeons have completed their part of the surgery, separated the spines, which the doctors described as “most critical” part of the 40-hour operation that began at 7 am (IST) on Tuesday.

Dr Sharan Patil, the orthopaedic surgeon who heads the five-member core team performing the operation at Sparsh Hospital, said the separation of spines has been smooth without any complications.

“Paediatric surgeons are now operating and trying to separate the organs and then orthopaedic surgeons will try to reconstruct the pelvic ring,” he said.

“With the reconstruction of the pelvic ring, the first stage of the surgery will be completed,” Patil said.

He expressed hope that the team will be able to complete the first stage of the operation on Tuesday night.

Lakshmi arrived at Sparsh Hospital, a part of Narayana Health city on October 3 from a village in Araria district in Bihar and underwent a series of medical tests.

Parents of Lakshmi, Shambhu, a daily wage labourer and Poonam have come with great hopes to the hospital and have reposed complete faith in the team, Patil said.

[fortunecookie]

Thanks for the update, it’s heartening to hear that all has gone well so far. What a beautiful little girl and what love her parents have for her, as they should, such a touching story. Especially in this day when children with far less daunting conditions are being aborted or abandoned.

[Santa Fe_Conservative]

The imagine is surreal to me...the only thing words I can describe it beautiful strangess. Prayers for the girl :)

[windcliff]

ping

[Tennessee Nana]

I’m praying for this lovely wee girl...

That she come through the operation whole in Jesus’ lovely Name

[Tennessee Nana]

The latest news about an hour ago...from The Guardian Unlimited

Successful Surgery for 8-Limbed Girl

Wednesday November 7, 2007 6:46 AM

By GAVIN RABINOWITZ

Associated Press Writer

BANGALORE, India (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 was 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.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7056597,00.html

[Tennessee Nana]

The BBC News....Wednesday, 7 November 2007, 06:04 GMT

Indian girl separated from twin

Lakshmi with her mother before the operation
Doctors in India, who operated on a two-year-old child who was born with four arms and four legs, say the surgery has been successful.
Lakshmi Tatma was joined at the pelvis to what was, in effect, a headless, undeveloped twin.

A team of surgeons in the southern city of Bangalore operated on Lakshmi for 27 hours to separate her spinal column and kidney from that of her twin.

It is hoped the procedure will allow her to survive beyond adolescence.

“Lakshmi is stable and sound,” the doctor leading the operation, Sharan Patil, told a press conference which was shown live on television channels across India.

‘Optimistic’

Dr Patil said Lakshmi was still on ventilation and would be closely monitored for two to three days.

Dr Sharan said he was “optimistic about the child’s survival”.

The surgery began at 0700 local time (0130 GMT) on Tuesday and ended at 1000 local time (0430 GMT) on Wednesday.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7082305.stm

[Tennessee Nana]

Thank you Jesus for guiding the surgeons’ hands for this sweet little girl...

[yorkie]

Yes. What a miracle. Thank you Lord of all.

[Gengis Khan]

Ping!

[ReignOfError]

If that diagram is correct, it looks like they will have to severe her spinal cord. I’m not a doctor, and I didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn last night, but this looks like an extremely risky undertaking.

Risky? Definitely. The question is one of risk/reward ratio. With the surgery, she might live normally, be able to walk and work and marry and have a life.

If a child were born with eight functional, usable limbs, that would be an interesting question. Could the human brain manage those? But in the case in point, the little girl has non-functioning limbs. They just flop around, and if not removed, they'll be a life-long threat of injuries that could cause clots, hemorrhaging or even gangrene.

[Rev. Dr. Aletha]

You don’t have to be a Villager to realize that Lakshmi IS the reincarnation of the Hindu Goddess. She even looks like her. We all get reincarnated, why can’t she be her? I believe that she is. Why does having a scientific explanation for something have to take away from the spirituality of something? Just because something is scientifically explained does not make it less then a miracle. That child is blessed by God and we shall all be witnesses to her life in this life. A modern day Goddess reincarnated before our very own eyes. Appreciate the blessings of living to see this miracle taking place! And God be with us all!

[Tennessee Nana]

Go be a troll somewhere else...

There is a God...

There are no godesses..

There is no such thing as reincarnation..

The little girl has her OWN life, not someone else’s..

She is not a reincarnation of anyone else..

Nobody ever comes back again as another person..

You only live and die one time......

It was God who said, “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement” Hebrews 9:27