Times of India
03 April 2010
By Jayashree Nandi
Bangalore, India

Orthopaedic Surgeon Sharan Patil Wants To Cure Boy Suffering From A Rare Condition
To villagers, they are gods and goddesses, born with eight limbs. But confronting the realities of rugged life becomes almost impossible for them, and it takes miracles to bring them back to normal life.

The 27–hour rare surgery on Lakshmi Tatma, 2, who was born with the limbs of her partially–formed parasitic twin attached to her body, became a landmark. Now, the same doctor who had operated on her is trying to track Deepak Paswan, another child with eight limbs – with a half–formed parasitic twin protruding from his body.

Orthopaedic surgeon Dr Sharan Patil of Sparsh Hospital is keen to operate on Deepak and give him a normal life. He had operated on little Lakshmi in November 2007. Lakshmi is now leading a healthy life and has joined a school in Jodhpur. Her story is a miracle to many. The rare, complicated surgery was performed for free.

Deepak is the son of a construction worker, Veeresh Paswan, from Belhari in Buxar district. He hasn’t been able to give his son this medical benefit because of lack of funds, according to sources.

“We are very keen to help Deepak and would like to see this boy lead a normal, healthy life, like so many children his age. From the articles I have read, the father of this unfortunate child is aware of our success with Lakshmi Tatma, who was also from Bihar. The family is looking for help. We would be more than happy to perform this surgery free of cost, for the reward of seeing a smile on this boy’s face,” Dr Patil told TOI.

The team operating on Lakshmi, who had a rare case of ‘ischiopagus conjoined parasitic twin’, was confronted with challenges like blood loss, narrow blood vessels, functional kidneys in both Lakshmi and her parasitic twin, fused spine and shared vagina, urinary tract and anal canal. She had to be given transfusion twice, as she lost a lot of blood during surgery.

“They just have to come here to my hospital. Deepak’s case is almost like Lakshmi’s. The surgery is similar. In Deepak’s case, his halfformed parasitic twin is hanging from near his abdomen. I have also been receiving emails from some US citizens who have read about the boy and are keen to offer financial help to see his life changed. However, irrespective of external funding, I would like to take up this case. I need help in tracing the family,” Dr Patil added.

In 2007, little Lakshmi got a new life
CALLBOX
Anyone who knows Deepak Paswan’s family, or can help in tracking him, can contact Sparsh Hospital on 9980909852.

The 27–hour rare surgery on Lakshmi Tatma, 2, who was born with the limbs of her partiallyformed parasitic twin attached to her body, became a landmark of sorts. Now, Dr Patil, who had operated on her, is trying to track Deepak Paswan, another child with eight limbs. Deepak is the son of a construction worker, Veeresh Paswan, from Belhari in Buxar district.