1/26/2004: Undeveloped conjoined twin
 

http://cellar.org/2004/bustedtwin.jpg

Conjoined twin, one-month-old Rebeca Martinez, lies in a hospital crib. Rebeca Martinez was born in mid-December at a hospital in Santo Domingo with the head of an undeveloped twin attached to the top of her skull, facing upward. The infant is otherwise healthy but her brain cannot develop normally unless the undeveloped head is removed, said Dr. Santiago Hazim, medical director at the CURE International Center for Orthopedic Specialties, where the surgery is tentatively set for February 6 or 7 in the Dominican Republic. The baby girl was born with one of the world's rarest birth defects, caused when a conjoined twin fails to develop in the womb.

wow. Nature is cruel sometimes. I hope the surgery is successful.

Well, I should think it would be easier than 2 live twins.

I wonder what life would have been like for that kid had her brains developed.

Incredibly smart? Social outcast (duh)? Truly bickering with herself? Really, really strong neck?

Do you think she'll want to be a school nurse when she grows up?

Did you ever notice how you only see these kinds of conjoined twins in third world countries? Think it has anything to do with the standard ultrasound tests done in first world countries and the widespread availability of abortion clinics?

It also has something to do with the higher concentrations of environmental toxins (pesticides, heavy metals, etc) present in most third world countries. The EPA actually does something for us, folks.

A clean environment is a "normal good" -- you get what you pay for (and what you can afford).

- Pie

I'm just going to pray that the procedure will turn out fine and little Rebeca will have no complications. :angel:

Aren't these the ones that just died? I saw on the news that they tried seperating a pair recently who both died. Maybe different ones though.

Quzah.

I don't know. I'll have to look into it. But I sure hope not! I kills me to even think that she didn't survive the procedure.

I'm a twin. I can't imagine being conjoined, but I can't imagine not being a twin either. I don't even want to even think about what life would be like without my sister. [shudder] :worried:

I just read in the paper today, sociologists claim the closest relationships are identical twins. More than mother/child, father/child, siblings, etc. I would imagine fraternal twins run a close second. :)

Out of my 2 brothers and 7 sisters (my father was a busy man) my twin sister is my favorit sibling. My mom only had me and my twin and another girl a year later. Dad of course, moved on.

:doit:

Very sad. Though the "strong neck" comment made me think of this:
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/63...CMZZZZZZZ_.jpg

For those concerned that the surgery has already been tried, and that Rebeca has died, I did a little googling:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2791138a12,00.html

Seems they haven't attempted the surgery yet, they're going to try to do it next month (February)...