Shiloh Pepin was born with fused legs and her condition was often referred to as "mermaid syndrome". She became extremely popular in her years and even appeared on Oprah at a time. Sadly, she just died Friday afternoon at the age of ten. Doctors predicted she wouldn't make if past just a few days of life, but that was not the case. She had been hospitalized for a week in critical condition prior to her death.
"Mermaid syndrome" is also known as sirenomelia which meant that she only had one working kidney, no lower colon, and her legs were fused together from the waist down. Some with this condition survived with surgery to separate the legs, but Shiloh had blood vessels that would have been severed from this operation.
Her last trip to the hospital was due to pneumonia that she and her mom both had. Throughout her short lifetime, she inspired many people, including those also living with a medical condition. She will be greatly missed and let's try to remember her as Shiloh Pepin instead of "mermaid girl".
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