The Little Mermaid Disease

Shiloh has sirenomelia, which means her legs were fused together before birth and she has no genitalia or uterus. It's an incredibly rare disease, and it's incredibly rare for someone with it to live this long, but Shiloh is rowdy, funny and sweet, and her surgeries have been successful. Now her parents are divided over whether to get her legs separated.

Check out more articles on BuzzFeed.com!

Facebook Conversations

3 Responses So Far

  • alexandrar5   The Little Mermaid Disease  about 9 months ago
  • J3nnipher   The Little Mermaid Disease  about 9 months ago
  • CrazyCoolish A. thinks The Little Mermaid Disease is OMG  about 2 years ago
  • Inspiring.

    CooD3peace
    2 years ago
  • Leah Crenshaw   The Little Mermaid Disease  about 2 years ago
  • For the record, I think Shiloh's cute, not the disease. *Gulp*

    Eliot Glazer
    2 years ago
  • Eliot Glazer thinks The Little Mermaid Disease is Cute  about 2 years ago
  • Peggy Wang   The Little Mermaid Disease  about 2 years ago
  • There's no doubt in my mind she shouldn't get her legs separated. If you've seen this show you'll see that her legs are pretty much morphed together in a tangled mess making it nearly impossible for them to separate them. They have bigger things to worry about, like her waste bags, which I think is the cause of her infections. She also has that whole kidney problem. Ah, seriously there are just so many issues with this. I couldn't help but feel horrible for the parents because they really weren't sure whether or not they should have had her in the first place. But hey, I say it's pretty damn cool to have a mermaid baby.
    Besides all her medical stuff Shiloh was pretty normal. She may be only 8, but she acts years older. It's strange when she acts like a kid on the show because she handles all the medical stuff pretty well. You pretty much get a sense of how much is sucks to be a mermaid child (weight gain, constant medical business, the risk of infection at any time) She's basically always in danger of getting sick.
    I thought the people who made the documentary were a little over the top with the mermaid references. They kept on putting her in the pool and showing the ocean. It was kinda funny, but also a little too much.
    Overall it's a great show.
    EVERYONE MUST SEE THIS.

    Matt Stopera
    2 years ago

Add Something Interesting

      

Partner Buzz

Hot Buzz

Man Murders Couple Over Facebook Unfriending

Though, to be honest, is there anything as crushing as being…

trashy

Every World Press Photo Winner From 1955-2011

Every year since the World Press Association gathers in Amsterdam to…

viral

Puppy Conan Should Happen Every Night

Here we have Conan O'Brien shamelessly (and adorably) exploiting…

win

Now Buzzing