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Maine girl with 'mermaid syndrome' dies
A
Shiloh Pepin, a girl who was born with fused legs, a rare condition often called "mermaid syndrome", and gained a wide following on the internet and US television, has died aged 10.Doctors had predicted she would at most only survive for days after her birth. The girl died at Maine Medical Centre on Friday afternoon, hospital spokesman John Lamb said. She had been hospitalised 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.Some children who have survived sirenomelia have had surgery to separate their legs, but Shiloh did not because blood vessels crossing from side to side in her circulatory system would have been severed. She had received two kidney transplants, the last one in 2007.Her story was featured recently on The Oprah Winfrey Show and other national television programs.Earlier this month her mother, Leslie Pepin, said her daughter came down with a cold that quickly turned to pneumonia. Shiloh was rushed to Maine Medical Centre on October 10 and was placed on antibiotics and a ventilator.For a while, Leslie Pepin said, things were looking up. "She's a tough little thing," she said of her daughter earlier this week.Shiloh was a fifth-grader at Kennebunkport Consolidated School. "She was such a shining personality in that building," said Maureen King, chairwoman of the board of the regional school district.Through the television shows, news articles, Facebook and other websites, Shiloh inspired many."I live in Iowa. I have cerebral palsy. I love your video," 12-year-old Lydia Dawley wrote to Shiloh on Facebook. "You have a great personality I wish you lived close so we could be friends and hang out. You opened my eyes because you are so brave."
SourceDamn... one of the few real mermaids and she's hideous.
N
Nothing like Ariel. D:<
C
it kindda make me wonder how she dispose of her waste
M
Another brave child of deformity since birth dies...My heart to another lost soul-gone before they could be fully develop :(And if your wondering-I can partially relate-no I don't have physical deformities...just mental ones.But I been into schooling backgrounds with people like this one-not as bad but...somewhat in the same catagory....it's why if I hear a wheel chair joke in the street-me and my mates tend to scream out "HOW DO YOU LIKE IT" before crippling them...We stand up for these people-they can't help it :(
T
calvin_0 · #4it kindda make me wonder how she dispose of her waste
She probably still had all the organs and orifices, just a fused set of legs.
TirithRR · #2Damn... one of the few real mermaids and she's hideous.
Lmfao!
TirithRR · #6She probably still had all the organs and orifices, just a fused set of legs.
well the artical says "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."
mds64 · #5Another brave child of deformity since birth dies...
its better that way. Otherwise Natural Selection would think that kind of deformity would help us survive and added it into our gene pool.....
but then Morden Medician already kindda kick Natural Selection out of the picture...
Interesting how both the common and medical names for the condition relate to mythical water creatures (and not the same one).
S
Replying to #9
Ha, so true.
I saw that Oprah episode she was featured in. Though I believe that it would've been best if she died off shortly before birth, I don't blame the doctors for working to help this kid. I believe that most people, given the choice, would choose to live on, it's like an instinct.
Suicidal thoughts, in my opinion, are a human creation. I acknowledge that it's strong enough to override the life-maintaining instinct living things have.
This kid wanted to live on, even though she's born like this, so I agree with mds64 that Shiloh's a brave girl.
Kids with life threatening are usually brave I noticed...Too young to know fear-or because their parents brought them up brave?Wouldn't know-mine jsut let me flow thru life-so I'm mostly the oppisite of this gal.Still...it does lift spirits-I send my condolances to the family...
N
this is somewhat sad..
but looking at the above posts..
it just makes me lol...
M
Replying to #12
It's just the internet-if you knew this girl or simerlar other's prehaps you'd be thinking like me :(
It's those who don't know from experience that go "meh-let's lighten up the place".
But the ones affected are a different story...
Some midgets don't give a dam if someone makes a short joke about them-but some take real offence and may sue you.
Individuals...
In the end-it's the internet-anything can happen...
[me=mds64]jumps out window[/me]
[me=mds64]survives[/me]
see?
Replying to #13
=-="
i do care...
but,
its goodthat they lighten it up..
who would want to stay sad?
Replying to #14
Your right-I don't think the girl who died wouldn't want us to be sad-but to celebrate life-or be happy she was happy...or the fact that she even lived?
Prehaps...
No one wants sadness to be spread-let's just be happy we actually know her somewhat now :)
but how would she pee
through her feet?
M
Replying to #16
prehaps that is how she died-no way for the waste to escape...
Or maybe thru the other end-no mention of that being blocked.
(...I can't believe I'm answering this...)
Replying to #17
If there was no way she can shit or piss, she'd be dead way before she turned ten. I'm guessing a tube and that she was able to take a crap.
Or look up and see what Tirrith said. It's like some people don't read the posts before they post. (This is directed at Chaun)
TirithRR · #6She probably still had all the organs and orifices, just a fused set of legs.
Replying to #18
I read above-and...I did miss this...
Opps AGAIN :(
News like that remind me how I'm (and 90% of the world) not thankful for have everything okay. We should thank God for being okay.
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