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In Rawalpindi, a baby with two faces fights for survival
The mother had two prior normal deliveries; doctors give low possibility of survival.
The mother had two prior normal deliveries; doctors give low possibility of survival. PHOTO: MUHAMMAD JAVED/EXPRESS
RAWALPINDI:
Doctors at Holy Family Hospital (HFH) have been trying to save a baby born with two faces, as he has been having breathing problems. They have been unable to feed the baby through the mouth, sources told The Express Tribune.
The baby is the third child of a couple from Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Paediatric Ward Senior Registrar Dr Qaisar Aziz told The Express Tribune that the new born baby has been shifted to the intensive care unit of the children ward and was being take good care of.
The doctor, however, expressed low possibility for the survival of the child. The baby has two sets of eyes, noses, and lips, and one pair of ears.
“As feeding through the mouth is not possible [at present], he is being fed through a naso-gastric tube. The two faces are angled to each other,” said Dr Qaisar.
The doctors explained that medically such a condition comes under the category of Craniofacial malformation.
It is the first case of its kind in the history of the hospital, which was established before the creation of Pakistan.
Cases of babies with joint heads or bodies have been treated by doctors, but a baby with two faces “is a novel phenomenon and needs special attention”, said the senior registrar.
The baby’s parents, Shahida Perveen and Khalil Ahmed, have come from Palandir of AJK and the couple is reluctant to interact with media.
The last ultrasound test of the woman, taken just before the delivery of, had shown the baby boy as normal and healthy.
Dr Qaisar further said there were “minimal chances” of the baby’s survival, who weighed 3.2 kg.
Senior doctors said such birth abnormalities are often due to genetic reasons largely resulting from inter-cousin marriages.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 25th, 2011.
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Reader Comments (38)
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Amazing.
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The child has ‘Diprosopus’.
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@Eeman
You call this amazing?
You are pathetic!
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Poor sufferer
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Allah is great!
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em.shocked
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MAY ALLAHA bless both of them…..
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God save her. I hope for her to survive.
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May Allah has mercy on the baby and parents. Ameen.
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Vienna,25-09-2011
Take it from me child can be saved and will be
saved. Consult Indian medical specialists, who
should help. I am sure without asking any thing
in return.Communicate direct or through the
humanitarian NGOs.
Taravadu Taranga Trust for Media Monitoring TTTMM India
–Kulamarva BalakrishnaRecommend
May Allah ease the parents pain and help them get through this.
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@Asim:
Medically..
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Oh God
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i hope and pray that he survives & lives an healthy , successful life ,
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Not sure what sort of surgical procedure would be applicable here…
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Never seen such a case before. I hope that the baby survives
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May ALLAH has mercy on the baby and parents. Ameen.
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Whoever is the author on this page PLEASE tell the parents of this child about what Kulamarva Balakrishna has said (consult with the Indian Medical Specialists!) I know that in S. India- they have hospitals dedicated to these kind of cases!!! PLEASE help these parents! Your news organization can help them contact NGO or the Indian hospitals directly- A.S.A.P!
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May Allah bless the family and the parents and the child
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@ Kulamarva Balakrishna.. a very kind gesture however if NGOs can help fund the childs recovery places like Singapore or US would be better options then India.
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why would you want to save the baby to give him a painful life
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@ Amina:
Its Holy Family Hospital. Ph: +92-51-9290359.
The author did his/her job informing you about the situation. Now you may do your share, if you wish to by actually arranging help for the child by contacting the NGO or whatever.
I would have my self, if i cared.
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@Amina:
Ask the parents to get in touch with : MIOT Hospital, Chennai.
http://www.miothospitals.com/
Talk to them over phone and fix appointment; sometimes, they will even foot the bill. The chief of hospital is a world renowned doctor known for philanthropic health care.
all the best
from an indian with melting heart
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Vienna,25-09-2011
@Sick nonsense, Bhai we have no problem if you could
send the baby to Singapore,Beijing, sand land Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia or United States of America.
We are close and may be able to help for sure. An open
heart good will from the healing profession to which many
of my family members belong.
I comment on mostly current events related to politics.
Here is a heart rending human case, I thought we may
be useful.I am aware many of my friends have relations
in Pakistan!
Taravadu Taranga Trust for Media Monitoring TTTMM India
–Kulamarva Balakrishna
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May ALLAH(SWT) give her parents strength to go through it.
@SICKO NON SENSE
First of all you should not interfere in matters which are beyond your comprehension; secondly i am sure you are not a parent yet else you would not have suggested anything. This child needs medical Attention what Mr. Kulamarva has suggested is at least humane then your own thoughts; So kindly next time keep this border hate separate from Love for Humanity. Allah is all knowing no doubt about it.
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I hope he survives. iA, he will.
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I would like to thank all of my brothers & sisters for their prayers, good will gesture and support for financial help. We should take this opportunity to firm our believes that Its Al mighty Allaha who is one and only creature who can do what ever he likes to. This is time for all of us to think that what we are doing in our life. ARE WE ARE LIVING AS ALLHAH HAS ASKED US TO LIVE or FULFILLING OUR OWN WISHES? May ALLAH forgive all of us and bless us with all of his blessings especially the parents & other relatives of this child. The child is the son of my brother in law who is also my cousin and we take is as ” Blessing of ALLAH”
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The outcome of inter-cousin breeding.
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may Allah bless his mercy on both child n his parents.
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May Allah ease the parents pain and help them get through this.
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What is wrong with all these people here? Praising some dude for screwing a freshly born child with pure innocence.. Wake up or something, he must be the Devil.
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how can this happen, identical face’s
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God bless the child
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The doctors should know better than to imply the parents are at fault for being too closely related (if indeed they are). This sort of thing is not generally a genetic defect. It’s usually either dietary (if the mother cannot afford enough food to get the needed nutrition, some structures may not form properly) or entirely random — essentially, what we’re looking at here is a case of conjoined twins where the zygote did not split very far before settling into its developmental path. No one has ever found a gene or a toxin that can reliably cause this; the cause remains unknown. Blaming the parents is abhorrent to me, since they are already coping with the grief of knowing how much suffering this child will endure, if the child even survives, which is unlikely. They should not compound the parents’ grief.
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GOD, bless the baby and the family.
RecommendI hope and pray that he survives and lives an healthy. God Bless the child!!!
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@elly stambuli:
Amém
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I hope it will be all right with the new baby. Just leave it in the hands of God througth the tecnhology because tecnhology is from God to help us!Recommend