A GIRL BORN WITH EIGHT LIMBS
Lakshmi Tatma is a toddler in Bihar, India, who was born with EIGHT limbs: Four arms, four legs. The reason: She was born with a conjoined twin . . . except the twin only had a spine, legs and arms . . . no head, no organs. The twin is fused, upside-down, pelvic bone-to-pelvic bone, with Lakshmi . . . so Lakshmi has four legs and two arms below the waist. In India, where the majority of people are Hindu . . . many of them believe that Lakshmi is a REINCARNATION of the Hindu god VISHNU. Vishnu is one of THE supreme beings for Hindus . . . and has two extra arms. But, the extra limbs are putting Lakshmi at A LOT of risk . . . she can't walk or crawl, and, with the limbs, she probably won't live past her early teens. Fortunately, it's going to be possible to remove her twin's arms and legs in surgery . . . and save her life. THIRTY surgeons are working on scheduling a 40-HOUR operation to remove the limbs . . . and they're pretty sure it's going to be a complete success. The lead surgeon is Dr. Sharan Patil. He says, quote, "Lakshmi has one complete body with a near set of organs. The operation itself is not the most complex in the world."
Lakshmi Tatma is a toddler in Bihar, India, who was born with EIGHT limbs: Four arms, four legs. The reason: She was born with a conjoined twin . . . except the twin only had a spine, legs and arms . . . no head, no organs. The twin is fused, upside-down, pelvic bone-to-pelvic bone, with Lakshmi . . . so Lakshmi has four legs and two arms below the waist. In India, where the majority of people are Hindu . . . many of them believe that Lakshmi is a REINCARNATION of the Hindu god VISHNU. Vishnu is one of THE supreme beings for Hindus . . . and has two extra arms. But, the extra limbs are putting Lakshmi at A LOT of risk . . . she can't walk or crawl, and, with the limbs, she probably won't live past her early teens. Fortunately, it's going to be possible to remove her twin's arms and legs in surgery . . . and save her life. THIRTY surgeons are working on scheduling a 40-HOUR operation to remove the limbs . . . and they're pretty sure it's going to be a complete success. The lead surgeon is Dr. Sharan Patil. He says, quote, "Lakshmi has one complete body with a near set of organs. The operation itself is not the most complex in the world."
