Lakshmi Tatma: an ordinary miracle of modern medicine

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:46

Lakshmi Tatma is a little girl from India who became famous immediately after her birth. The baby was born in the most ordinary family, she owes world attention to a rare physical anomaly. The girl's body has grown together with a parasitic twin, whose development for some reason stopped during the mother's pregnancy.

Divine gift or curse?

Lakshmi Tatma was born into an Indian family. The girl's parents belong to one of the poorest segments of the population. Working day jobs, they earn less than $1 a day. Lakshmi was born on December 31, 2005, she became the second child in the family. The pregnancy proceeded without any serious complications. The girl was born on a big holiday - the day of honoring the deity Vishnu, who, according to Indian beliefs, has 4 hands. The appearance of the newborn struck her mother and doctors - the baby had 8 limbs. This anomaly is explained by the presence of a Siamese twin-parasite. This type of connection of bodies is called ischiopagus. The twins have fused their buttocks. The girl named LakshmiTatma in honor of the goddess of we alth and fertility, was recognized as viable. Her parasitic brother stopped developing, he had no head, only a body and limbs.

Doctors' forecasts

Due to the unusual structure of the body, the girl could not learn to walk independently, perform many simple actions and develop like all other children. Medical examinations showed not very good results. Each of the twins had only one fully functioning kidney, many other organs were also repeated in both twins. Doctors said that Tatma Lakshmi, most likely, would not live to be two years old, and one should not dream of an older age. The girl's condition could hardly be called good, ulcers and bedsores constantly appeared on her body. Since Lakshmi's body has all viable organs, separation surgery was suggested from the first months of the baby's life. The problem was the poor family's lack of funds. The situation was saved by Sharan Patil, a famous surgeon. After learning the story of Lakshmi, he offered to perform the separation operation for free.

Starting a new life

After serious preparation, the operation was performed in 2007. Doctors managed to remove the parasitic twin from Lakshmi's body. This operation was recognized as one of the most difficult to date. Its approximate cost is estimated at 200 thousand dollars. Surgical intervention was performed for 27 hours, all this time 30 highly qualified surgeons worked in shifts. Lakshmi Tatma endured the operation well and quickly went toamendment. After surgery, a course of rehabilitation was carried out. Doctors have planned several more operations, thanks to which it will be possible to reduce the distance between the patient's legs and make her buttocks, since she has not had them since birth.

Life after operations

During the separation operation, the kidney of her parasitic brother was transferred into the girl's body. By the age of 4, Lakshmi had learned to walk confidently on her own and perform all the same actions as her peers. The girl's gait is a bit unusual, and she also has a curvature of the spine. For these reasons, Tatma Lakshmi studies in a special institution for disabled children. The girl dreams of graduating from high school and becoming a teacher. Lakshmi and her family receive regular visits from journalists who want to film this success of modern medicine in person. Do not leave the family and doctors, doctors still help their patient for free.

Interesting facts about Lakshmi Tatma

Lakshmi was born in a very poor state of India. Many people here are not well educated and are very religious. Having learned about a child with a similar anomaly of the physical structure, the neighbors began to consider the baby an earthly incarnation of a many-armed deity. People who adhere to this version even tried to dissuade parents from agreeing to a separation operation. There were also detractors of the family who claim that the Indian girl Lakshmi Tatma is a spider-man. In one interview, the mother of this unusual childsays that she received an offer to sell her daughter to a freak circus. The parents refused, while some relatives of the family liked the idea very much. Mother had to literally hide Lakshmi and constantly guard.

Doctors were surprised at exactly how the bodies of the girl and her parasitic twin fused. Ischiopagi are quite common among other types of compounds. In the case of Lakshmi, the bodies were perfectly aligned with each other, like a reflection in a mirror. After the surgical intervention, the girl recovered very well. Looking at modern photos, it's hard to believe that this smiling baby is Tatma Lakshmi. The operation, carried out on time by highly qualified specialists, allowed the girl to find a normal life and practically do not differ from her peers in anything.