Bizarre Child Defects of the 21st Century

Bizarre Birth Defects of the 21^st Century

By MAG Villaflor

Children are brought in this world to experience the best out of life and every opportunity possible. Their smiles, their giggles, their cries and every childish act amazingly strike every normal and loving human being in this planet in a very positive and changing way. Many people think that some of the reasons why they acquire so much affection and intimacy from older people are their baby characters and physical perfections.

However, I personally have to disagree with that.

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Children are automatically fantastic and loving in their own unique way minus all the baby characteristics they could possibly possess. In this discussion, the primary subject centers on the bizarre characters of different children from across the world. While reading this article, you may want to think… is it really the baby thing or the child-nature behind that strike the hearts of every normal human being?

Mermaid Syndrome: The Little Mermaid…Baby

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Another rare condition occurred to the young sweet girl named, Milagros Cerrón Arauco, who was born from a poor family in April 27, 2004 in Huancayo Peru. The condition of Milagros is known as Sirenomelia or the Mermaid Syndrome, which is a rare congenital deformity occurring to 1 out of 70,000 live births and usually fatal within a day or two due to the severe complications. Fortunately, Milagros’s internal organs, including her heart and lungs, are in perfect condition; however, internal defects are severely affected including her deformed kidneys and single-tubule digestive, urinary tract and genitalia. Currently, Milagros is under her 10 to 15 years of rehabilitation with planned sets of reconstructive surgeries to rebuild her anus, urethra and genitalia.

Lobster Baby: Claw-like Limbs of Moises Chavez

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From Andean village of San Jeronimo, Central Andes, Peru, the mother, Marisol Chavez, gave to a beautiful baby boy weighing 2.5kg and 33cm long, and a rare condition known as Arthrogryposis. The rare congenital disorder occurring among 1 out of 30,000 live births is also known as Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita. Baby Moises Chavez has been branded as the “lobster baby” due to its claw-like limbs resembling those from the lobster.

Craniopagus Twins: Ahmed and Mohamed Ibrahim

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From the remote village of Qos, Egypt, one of the rarest conditions of conjoined twins called craniopagus twins had occurred when the couple Ibrahim Gad (father) and Sabah Abou Al Wafa (mother) gave birth to their two conjoined sons, Ahmed and Mohamed Ibrahim, in June 22, 2002. The case of the children – craniopagus twins – rarely occurs among conjoined births, which is also another rare condition of conception. According medical experts, the case of Ahmed and Mohamed Ibrahim happens only 1 out of 2,500,000 births. Other recently recorded craniopagus births are the recent Krista and Tatiana Hogan born October 25, 2006, and Joseph Banda and Luka Banda born in 1996.

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Fortunately, the technology of the 21^st century facilitated the separation of Ahmed and Mohamed Ibrahim in October 11 to 12, 2003. After 34 hours of surgery, the conjoined twin was successfully separated.

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Unfortunately for Krista and Tatiana Hogan, the girls had their declaration of unseparation in August 3, 2007.

Parasitic Version of Craniopagus Twins: A Heart-Breaking Story

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Another rare form of Craniopagus twins is the rare condition of Craniopagus parasiticus that occurred on the two adorable Egyptian kids Manar Maged. She was born in March 30, 2004 with another head attached to her head. The parasitic twin of Manar Maged possesses her small lungs and heart but entirely depends on the oxygen, nutrition and circulation of her developed twin. Nevertheless, the parasitic twin was very much alive capable of smiling, blinking and crying. However, in February 2005, Manar’s twin died due to additional demand of oxygen, and she was forced to undergo forced separation in February 19, 2005. After the thirteen-hour operation in Benha, Egypt, the experts successfully removed her twin; however, on May 8 of that same year, Manar died due to severe brain infection.

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Rare Cyclopia – Cyclops Baby

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From Chennai Hospital in Chennai, India, a documented rare case of Cyclopia or one-eyed chromosomal disorder occurred to a young little girl born in July 2006. From the medical point of view, Cyclopia is a rare form of holoprosencephaly occurring extremely rare among humans, while approximately 1 out 16,000 among animals. According to the medical interviews, the mother was exposed to an experimental drug called Cyclopamine by a fertility clinic at Chennai during her pregnancy. The substance Cyclopaine is derived from a plant Veratrum californicum mistakenly prescribed by false clinicians at Chennai, India to cure vomiting, crams and poor circulation during pregnancy. Adding into that were the radiation and toxin-filled environment present during her pregnancy.

Ambras Syndrome: The Wolf Girl

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The smiling eight-years old, Supatra Sasuphan, has a rare condition called Ambras syndrome or congenital Hypertrichosis or excessive hairgrowth. So far in the history of medical science, there are only 40 documented cases associated to this rare condition since the first child named Petrus Gonzales born in 1556 from Canary Islands. Supatra Sasuphan’s case is considered genetically associated, but the clear picture of the etiology is still unknown.

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Frog Baby: Parade of his Death

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From the headquarters of Dolakha district in Charikot in Nepal, a neck-less baby was born by his mother, Suntali Karki,. Shortly after its birth, the baby died due to severe congenital complications.. The condition of the baby was attributed to a rare condition called anencephaly, which is a cephalic disorder resulted by a neural tube’s closure defect. The notable feature of this congenital complication is the absence of the largest part of the brain – the forebrain.

Two Faced “demigod” – Craniofacial Duplication

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Last March 10, 2007, a baby girl named Lali was born in the rural Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh, India, with a rare condition of craniofacial duplication. The locals have associated the birth of the child to the reincarnation of their Ganesha god. Lali’s two faces blinks and even feeds at the same time. According to medical experts, the child’s physical and physiological analysis reveals higher level of normality except for the fact that her face has been duplicated.

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After writing the stories of these children, the most important thing that struck me is the value of their life despite of their complications and the short-existence in this world they should’ve enjoyed.