Friday, November, 9th, 2007
In Bangalore, India two year old Lakshmi Tasta was born with four arms and four legs. She received surgery two Fridays ago. The surgery removed both her extra arms and her extra legs.
Lakshmi is believed to be sacred according to people that live in the same village and surrounding areas. She is named after the four armed Hindu goddess. The chief surgeon in charge of the operation said that "Lakshmi appeared very perplexed and kept staring at her legs, wondering where the rest of her body had disappeared to."
Lakshmi was joined at the pelvis to a parasitic twin. The twin stopped developing while in the mothers womb. Lakshmi, the surviving fetus took the limbs and extra body parts from the fetus. The doctors removed her limbs and reconstructed her pelvis and had to organize her limbs. A total of 30 doctors worked on her in many different ways.
People believe that she is a reincarnated god and some village people were upset with removing her extra limbs. A temple was going to be built for Lakshmi, but it did not happen because of the surgery.
The parents of Lakshmi could not afford her surgery which costs upwards of $200,000 American. The hospital and friends, families, and other people helped raise the money for the surgery. The people in the town that Lakshmi was from raised most of this money.
I think that is a good thing that they removed her extra limbs. After doing this her and her family will be able to lead a happy and normal life. She will be given all the same opportunities as other people. I think that how the hospital and other people raised the money for Lakshmi was a very good thing. All in all when people need help, other people come to their aid. Lakshmi is lucky to have received the operation.
I think what the people of Lakshmi's town did was a very good deed. They are letting her lead a normal life.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/11/09/india.girl.ap/
Associated Press, CNN
