By Gina Gomez
Portland, Oct 25, (THAINDIAN NEWS) Shiloh Pepin, a 10 year girl who had gained recognition as the ‘Mermaid Girl‘, as she suffered from a rare condition known as ‘Mermaid Syndrome’ died on Friday. ‘Mermaid Syndrome’ which is also known as Sirenomelia is a rare kind of deformity in which the legs of the patient are fused together which looks strikingly similar to a mermaid’s tail.

The young girl gained wide popularity through internet and electronic media due to her rare condition and recently she had also appeared in the ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’. Although during her birth doctors had predicted that she would not be able to survive for more than few weeks but the girl supposedly made it through all these years due to her strong determination and will-power. The girl passed away at the Maine Medical Center where she was admitted for almost a week. She was hospitalized on Oct 10, after she suffered severe fever and her condition gradually deteriorated as later on she also contracted pneumonia. Although initially she was reacting well to the treatment, her condition worsened after few days.

Normally, children who are born with this condition are not able to survive for very long period of time but those who do, usually get operated to separate their joined legs. However, in Shiloh’s case this could not be done because of certain complications as vital blood vessels linked to her circulatory system could be snapped in the process. Despite her physical challenge, Shiloh was known to be an immensely bright and high-spirited young girl and her story of courage and determination continues to inspire millions across the world.