Lakshmi was born joined to a “parasitic twin” and absorbed the undeveloped fetus’ limbs, kidneys and organs when it failed to fully develop still inside the mothers womb.
Children born with deformities are often viewed as reincarnated gods. Lakshmi is no different. She is named after the four-armed Hindu Goddess of wealth Vishnu, and her parents say she is revered in her village.
“Everybody considers her a goddess at our village,” said her father, Shambhu.
Last Wednesday, however, she underwent a 24 hour surgery to give her a normal body.
The surgery went “wonderfully well,” said Dr. Sharan Patil who led a team of more than 30 surgeons at a hospital in the southern city of Bangalore that performed the marathon procedure to remove the child’s extra limbs, salvage her organs and rebuild her pelvis area.
“This girl can now lead as good a life as anyone else,” Patil said.
Lakshmi’s parents, who were expected to see the girl later Wednesday, said they were very relieved.
“It will be great to see our daughter have a normal body,” her father Shambhu said. “We were worried for her future.”
Doctors at Sparsh Hospital in Bangalore estimated the surgery cost US$625,000, but they did it for free because the girl’s family could not afford it.
“We are very grateful to all the doctors for seeing our plight and deciding to help us,” Shambhu said.
