Shiloh Pepin- Mermaid Girl

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.’

Thanks To videosift.com

Tags: mermaid, mermaid girl, mermaid girl shiloh, mermaid syndrome, shiloh pepin, sirenomelia, tiffany yorks