Indian girl born with heart in hand fights to live

[lindalove]

Sun Nov 13, 8:04 AM ET

RAIPUR, India (Reuters) - Indian doctors are struggling to save a baby girl born with an external heart which she was holding in one of her hands at the time of her birth, a doctor said on Sunday.
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"The baby has a fully developed external heart between her neck and collar bone. She was holding her heart in her right hand when born," S.K. Pambhoi, a senior government doctor, told Reuters.

Doctors said they separated the hand from the heart, but the baby born to a poor family in Korba town in the central state of Chhattisgarh on Friday would die if she did not have immediate surgery.

"Her heart is connected to the inner body through arteries and veins. Surgery is the best option to insert her heart and fix it at the right place," Pambhoi said.

"There is a strong possibility of the heart getting infected, so a quick operation is needed."

Doctors said her parents were too poor to afford surgery.

link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051113/...k_india_baby_1

I believe this deserves a OMFWTF. She was born HOLDING HER OWN HEART! *shivers*

[denim]

She knows her heart like the palm of her hand, you bet.

[Redlemon]

Sorry, but she is already dead.

The baby born in Raiour, India, died after developing an infection. The doctors had separated the hand from her heart but the child's parents could not afford further surgery to reposition the heart inside the body.

The heart was external to the body and lay between her neck and her collar bone.[SN reported] The family was from the town of Korba in Chhattisgarh state of India.

"The baby's heart developed some infection, and after battling for her life for 72 hours, she breathed her last on Sunday evening," said P.S. Sisodia, the leader of a team of doctors who examined the child.

[denim]

I believe this comes under the heading "severe, fatal, birth defect".

[flat5]

India...no ants?

Sorry kid.
RIP

[Sweetpea]

that is sad. i hope she's in a better place now.

Sweetpea

[Bill O'Rights]

The doctors had separated the hand from her heart but the child's parents could not afford further surgery to reposition the heart inside the body.

Somebody tell me that her parents inability to afford the surgery is not the reason that she died.

[sapiens]

This is very sad, but why is it news? This girl suffered. Her family is suffering. For some reason, it seems exploitative to me. I think that it's news for the same reason that people like the same type of stuff Ripley's Believe it or Not offers, or slowing down to get a look at a car wreck - a morbid fascination with human suffering. If we wanted to, we could probably scour the world for horrible stories such as this one and have a few a day to read. Ugh!

Of course, I entered this thread of my own accord, but I still don't like that stories like this one become international news. Or maybe I don't like why I think they become international news. Anyway, I'm rambling.

[denim]

Originally Posted by Bill O'Rights

Somebody tell me that her parents inability to afford the surgery is not the reason that she died.

Unfortunately, even people in the medical industry have to pay their bills.

[Jinn]

So many bad puns..

"Tugging on her heart strings.."
"Got the whole world, in my hand..."
"Wearing her heart on her sleeve.."

Also --

"This is very sad, but why is it news? "

? Why ISN'T it news? Anything that happens anywhere in the world to anyone is news to me.. should we patently exclude certain things?

[highthief]

Originally Posted by Bill O'Rights

Somebody tell me that her parents inability to afford the surgery is not the reason that she died.

That could NEVER happen in the US!

Oh, wait ...