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Shiloh Pepin

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Shiloh Jade Pepin was an American girl from Kennebunkport, Maine who suffered from Sirenomelia. She died on October 23, 2009 at the age of 10 from Pneumonia. Pepin was born with her lower extremities fused, no bladder, no uterus, no rectum, only 6 inches of large intestine, no vagina, only one quarter of a kidney and one ovary. Her parents initially anticipated she could expect only a few months of life. At age 4 months, her natural kidney failed, and she began dialysis. A kidney transplant at age 2 lasted a number of years, and in 2007 a second kidney transplant was successful. She remained hopeful about her disease and joked often and lived her life happily, despite her challenges, as seen in her TLC documentary in "Extraordinary People: Mermaid Girl". Shiloh and her family were debating surgery because of the risks involved, even though it would improve her quality of life. Many people who have this condition undergo surgery when they are young, but Shiloh was already 8 years old in the documentary and had not undergone surgery. Shiloh was the only one of the three survivors of sirenomelia without surgery for separation of the conjoined legs. Shiloh appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show on September 22, 2009. Shiloh gained a following of admirers by documenting her condition on TV, Facebook, and the Internet.

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