Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Girl with 'mermiad syndrome' dies at 10

A recent article found on MSNBC told of a story about a little 10 year old girl who died last Friday from complications of a condition called Sirenomelia.

Doctors had predicted she would at most only survive for days after her birth. The girl died at Maine Medical Center on Friday afternoon, hospital spokesman John Lamb said. She had been hospitalized in critical condition for nearly a week.

Being born with "mermaid syndrome," also known as sirenomelia, meant that the Kennebunkport girl had only one partially working kidney, no lower colon or genital organs and legs fused from the waist down.


Ten year old Shiloh Pepin from Portland, Maine died last Friday with what many have called, 'Mermaid Syndrome.' She was nicknamed the 'mermaid girl' because when she was born her legs were fused together. Doctors could not operate on her legs because she had blood vessels that crossed from one side of her leg to the other and they would have been completely severed.

This is an interesting topic related to Anatomy because it has to do with how her bones were deformed when she was born and how without two legs it would be very hard to survive or even just get around.

6 comments:

  1. Nice job, Emma. 25/25

    I noticed that you actually quoted two different parts of the article. It's appropriate, when doing that, to include ellipses [...] to show that you have left out some of the original quote.

    For example: "She had been hospitalized in critical condition for nearly a week. [...] Being born with "mermaid syndrome," also known as sirenomelia, meant that the Kennebunkport girl had only one partially working kidney, no lower colon or genital organs and legs fused from the waist down.

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  2. Katie, she was hooked up to two bags that were at her side at all times. Then her parents would empty the bags and replace them with new ones. It was quite interesting.

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  3. Emma I have to say that is a very interesting story. Not trying to be funny, but the fact that she was born with her legs fused together, would that make her a beter swimmer? Or was she restricted to doing normal activities, like swimming, that the average American kid does?

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  4. Lauren I have no idea. I don't think you are trying to be funny thats a great question. I would guess yes but I really don't know.

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  5. So did they give her a colostomy so she could go to the bathroom? And can you give a baby a stoma even though they are still growing or will that lead to complications?

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