Shiloh Pepin is a brave little girl who has a rare condition called 'sirenomelia'. Her courage is inspiring, and watching this made me cry.
WikiPedia: 'Sirenomelia, alternatively known as Mermaid Syndrome is a very rare congenital deformity in which the legs are fused together, giving the appearance of a mermaid.
This condition is found in approximately one out of every 100,000 live births (about as rare as conjoined twins) and is usually fatal within a day or two of birth because of complications associated with abnormal kidney and bladder development and function. It results from a failure of normal vascular supply from the lower aorta in utero.
Shiloh Pepin was born in Kennebunkport, Maine in August, 1999, with her lower extremities fused, a missing bladder, uterus, colon and vagina, with only one partial kidney and one ovary. Her parents initially anticipated she could expect only a few months of life. An initial kidney transplant at 4 months of age, lasted a number of years, and in 2007 a second kidney transplant was successful. She attends Consolidated Elementary School. Shiloh is the only one of the three survivors of Sirenomelia without surgery for separation of the conjoined legs.'
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