8-Limbed Girl on Road to Recovery

Jan. 31, 2008— -- Viewers of the Oprah Winfrey Show got their first look at little Lakshmi Tatma today, following her miraculous surgery.

In her picture, the smiling girl in a frilly dress looked like any other happy 2-year-old. Aside from the braces on her feet, there was little evidence to suggest the child had been born with a disfiguring and life-threatening medical condition.

Lakshmi was born with four arms and four legs—part of a rare condition called "parasitic twin." She was part of a pair of conjoined twins attached at the pelvis.

"She was born with another twin who didn't have a head," explained Dr. Mehmet Oz, a cardiac surgeon and frequent contributor to the Oprah Winfrey Show, who had recently spoken with Lakshmi's doctors in India. "That body was living on her and was making her sick."

Little Lakshmi, whose condition captured world attention, underwent marathon surgery to spare her life. Without it, doctors believed she would not survive beyond early adolescence. In a 27-hour operation, teams of doctors at a Bangalore hospital transplanted a kidney from her twin, removed her extra limbs and reconstructed her pelvis.

Lakshmi's recovery has been slow, but doctors say she is beginning to stand—a promising sign.

"Beyond our expectations, the reconstruction worked wonderfully well," said Dr. Sharan Patil, who led the surgical team.

Lakshmi will need further surgery to fix her club feet and realign her hip.

Lakshmi was born into a poor family in a remote part of northern India. Her parents named her for the multi-limbed goddess of wealth. Her unusual appearance prompted worldwide attention—starting with local villagers, who believed she was sacred and waited in line for a blessing from the baby. A circus even offered the Tatmas money to put their daughter on exhibit.

Lakshmi's parents wanted their daughter to lead a normal life, but were told surgery was not possible.

Even so, the Tatmas could not afford medical help. Both are laborers who earn about a dollar a day.