Mermaid+Disease

=Mermaid Disease= toc

Mermaid disease, or Sirenomelia, is a very rare congenital disease that is caused when the legs are fused at birth. Usually victims die within a day or two of birth. It only seen in one in every 100,000 live births; that is about as rare as conjoined twins.



LIMA, Peru - Milagros Cerron is no ordinary baby. Milagros was born with her legs fused in a tight coating of skin — giving her the appearance of a mermaid.

She was born with Sirenomelia, or as it is more commonly know Mermaid syndrome. Milagros is one of the lucky few born with this syndrome that live past 2 weeks.

Another example is a little girl named Shiloh Pepin from Portland, Maine. She turned eight in 2007. Here is a video of her learning how to swim. The amazing thing about this little girl is that she wants to remain a mermaid and she does not want to try to remain a mermaid. Here is a [|video] about her. Also here is a picture of her.

Another patient of Sirenomelia Shiloh Pepin from Maine is one of only three Sirenomelia patients to live without separating her legs. She was born in August 1999 and had a Kidney transplant shortly after she was born and another in 2007. Shiloh was born without several internal organs that are considered essential to live including many of the reproductive and waste organs. Shiloh's parents are now trying to figure out whether it is in her best interest to try and separate her legs or not because there are a lot of complications from having her legs together but it could be very dangerous to separated them. Shiloh can still do what many other kids can as the video shows her at an amusement park with her father. But everything is just a little more difficult for her to get around. (Brianna and I worked together on this subject)

http://www.buzzfeed.com/edithzimmerman/the-little-mermaid-disease-y7