Top Five Medical Miracles

Published by Emily Greenleaf
July 8, 2009, Category: Human Biology

Conjoined twins, a teen who survived without a heart, and various other instances prove that humans are indeed a race willing to fight to survive.

Living Without a Heart: D’Zhana Simmons of South Carolina survived for 118 days without a heart. She relied on two machines to pump the blood in her body when the heart transplant wasn’t successful. Finally, when she received another heart, the surgery was successful and she went on to have another transplant the next day. However, there is still a large chance that she will need another transplant in the coming years.

Surviving an Orthopedic Decapitation: 9 year old Jordan Taylor managed to survive a near-fatal car accident. The doctors gave him a one percent chance of survival. In the accident, his skull was lifted off of his vertebra when a garbage truck ran into the car he was in. Dr. Richard Roberts connected them with metal plates, screws, and rods. Three months later, Jordan returned to school. Throughout the whole ordeal, his family has kept faith.

Walking again: 21 years ago, David Blancarte suffered through a motorcycle accident that paralyzed his lower body. He learned to adjust and get around on a wheelchair. Then one day he got bitten by a Brown Recluse which sent him to the hospital. A nurse noticed a muscle spasm in his leg, and in five days he was walking again.

Attached for 62 Years: Born May 11, 1811, Chang-Eng Bunker were originally ordered to be put to death because the birth of attached twins was considered an omen in Siam (present-day Thailand). Eventually, however, the king decided that they were harmless and allowed them to tour the world as entertainers. People from all over would travel to see the strong ligament holding them together. They eventually settled, married the Yates sisters in North Carolina, and had a total of 21 children between them, 11 of whom survived. Chang suffered a stroke and became paralyzed, forcing Eng to support him for the rest of their lives. They died January 17, 1874.

The 8-limbed Girl: Lakshmi Tatma was born with four arms and four legs and was named after the Indian goddess of wealth and good fortune. By the age of 2, she was famous throughout India as an oddity, a religious icon, and a medical marvel. Dr. Sharan Patil realized that this strange occurrence was actually in fact a rare case of a parasitic twin. The twin had four limbs which Lakshmi had no full control over, and if left untreated would be potentially fatal. He invited the family to Bangalore to surgically remove the twin who was taking up oxygen and nutrients from Lakshmi. After twenty-four hours, the operation was deemed successful and eventually Lakshmi was able to take her first steps. When asked if her parents believed that they were the parents of a goddess, they responded by saying that “for every parent their child is a goddess”.