A 7-year-old boy from India who was born with eight limbs has a new body thanks to the kindness of surgeons.
Deepak Kumar Paswaan of Bahir, India was born with the arms and legs of his underdeveloped twin brother sticking out of his chest. Twins occur when a fertilized egg implants in the uterus and splits into two embryos.
In Deepak’s case, his twin never separated completely from him in the womb. Deepak suffered taunts and bullying from other children who called him a “devil” and a freak.
According to British tabloid The Daily Mail, Hindu pilgrims visited Deepak’s home to worship him as an incarnation of the god Vishnu, who is often depicted with more than four limbs.
Deepak’s life was changed forever when leading surgeons from Bangalore’s Fortis Hospital agreed to operate for free.
The pioneering surgery, which was carried out last year, would normally cost around £50,000 [$72,000 USD], a sum his impoverished family could never have dreamed of affording.
Happily the gruelling four-hour operation was a complete success.
Now fully-healed and looking like a healthy, normal seven-year-old, cricket-mad Deepak has been given a new lease of life.
He said: “I can run faster than my two elder brothers – before I could never keep up. I really like my new body. It’s much more fun. I am very happy.”
