News / National
Baby born with multiple body parts
20 Jan 2014 at 08:02hrs | Views
It sounds like a story from a fiction book, one where extraordinary human beings of different shapes and sizes fit perfectly into an author's script.
To the ordinary population of Mhondoro, a rural area in Zimbabwe's Mashonaland West Province, the birth of an extraordinary child with multiple human body parts definitely leaves the family and community with more questions than answers.
The first reaction of clinic staff at Marisamhuka Clinic in Chivero explains how in many ways this child was a rare occurrence in their medical profession and life.
Even the baby's 35-year-old mother Grace Zimbowa was seemingly shocked and believes a miracle has kept her child alive.
The fact that she gave birth to such a child breaks her heart, but she loves him dearly and wants to see him well.
The child has two hearts, three legs and four feet, two male organs and had intestines protruding from behind.
It all started on December 4, 2013 when Zimbowa - of Plot 15, Nugget Farm - gave birth to the baby at 8pm.
The baby, christened Tinashe (loosely translated "God is with us") became the talk of the area, with many giving their own theories of how he could have ended up like that.
His father, Charles Mayenzo despite being in shock, hopes for the best.
Even though the reality of the deformities is too much for him, he loves his baby.
While some parents would lock up children with such conditions to keep them safe from prying eyes, Mayenzo and Zimbowa have decided to show the world what it really is like to have a child with multiple deformities.
"This was the shock of my life. The baby has two hearts, two male organs, four legs (two of which are joined), four feet and protruding intestines that are attached to the liver.
"The doctors also advised us that the baby had two hearts sharing the same blood veins," he churned out the list of deformities that shook him most.
He adds: "We were really astonished when the baby was born. Nurses at Marisamhuka Clinic referred the baby to a hospital in Norton where we were transferred to Harare Central Hospital."
The baby's left leg looks normal with both its foot and five toes while the middle leg, known as "double feet", has two feet attached to it.
Of the two feet, the left one has a single toe while the right has a full set of toes. The third leg, on the right, is shorter than the others but has a normal foot.
The baby has two male organs, one on the right and the other of left. The right male organ is not functional and no urine passes through it.
The second male organ on the left, functions normally.
The child has one anal cavity that functions normally.
Mayenzo shares information he has gathered from experts: "When we went to Harare Hospital, doctors said the babies could have been conceived as twins but their development did not go well resulting in them joining. This is why the child had deformities with organs of two people."
He added that the doctors also advised the corrective surgery could only be performed outside Zimbabwe.
Local doctors successfully removed the protruding intestines and the child is already recovering from the procedure.
"We are, however, facing another problem because we cannot get the papers used when the child had surgery at Harare Central Hospital. These hospital papers are required by various organisations and companies that we have approached seeking assistance."
Mr Muyenzo said he had visited the hospital thrice without any joy.
And to make matters worse, Mayenzo was advised that the surgery costs about US$130 000 in India. The money is well beyond their means.
They are desperate for help - any kind of help - to get him to India.
Because of the condition of the child and in search of better medical assistance, the family is currently staying with relatives at Hopley Farm in Harare.
"We are in dire need for help. Our biggest problem is for us to get the required funds so that our baby survives," he pleaded.
Tinashe is their sixth child (he has four brothers and a sister. The oldest is 12 years old).
Sometimes he suspects that a snake which bit Zimbowa during her pregnancy could have caused the condition, but these are just thoughts.
"I have never visited prophets or traditional healers but I have a feeling that something happened to our baby.
"Before the baby was born my wife was bitten by a cobra and spent three months at the same hospital," he revealed.
He said Zimbowa never visited any doctor during her pregnancy for tests.
Medical doctors, however, said the condition was common.
Ministry of Health and Child Care director for Epidemiology and Disease Control Dr Portia Manangazira said Tinashe's deformities likely occurred during his mother's pregnancy.
"This is known as congenital malformation or abnormalities and it can happen to children who were supposed to be born as twins but the genes are disturbed and the babies are not separated and are born on one of the babies' body. This usually happens during the initial stages of pregnancy," she said.
Head of the National PMTCT and Pediatric HIV Care and Treatment in the same ministry, Dr Angela Mushavi, said some helpful information could come from the parents' medical history.
This could determine whether this is the first such incident in the family or not.
"There is need to establish if this ever happened in any of the two parents' families because it is usually associated with their genes which could be deformed leading to such a birth where twins do not develop but born as a single child. There could also be chances of the child failing to grow properly leading to such a case."
Leader of the Zimbabwe National Practitioners Association, Mr Friday Chisanyo, said some deformities where caused by witchcraft while some babies could be affected by their position during pregnancy.
"We, therefore, cannot dismiss that because there are deformities that can affect even the whole family. This is case needs to be probed further," he said.
The family has since approached the Red Cross Society for assistance.
Red Cross Society youth ambassador Tryson Chimbetu visited the family in Hopley and promised to source for help.
"We are aware of the baby's problem and I would like to assure the family that Red Cross will work hard with fellow Zimbabweans so that Tinashe can get assistance," Chimbetu said.
In 2011 a child was born at Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital with two faces, four hands and four legs.
The child was born premature and died soon after being delivered.
The mother reportedly had a huge and painful stomach but doctors had advised her that she had too much fluid. They were surprised to find the baby with several limbs.
To the ordinary population of Mhondoro, a rural area in Zimbabwe's Mashonaland West Province, the birth of an extraordinary child with multiple human body parts definitely leaves the family and community with more questions than answers.
The first reaction of clinic staff at Marisamhuka Clinic in Chivero explains how in many ways this child was a rare occurrence in their medical profession and life.
Even the baby's 35-year-old mother Grace Zimbowa was seemingly shocked and believes a miracle has kept her child alive.
The fact that she gave birth to such a child breaks her heart, but she loves him dearly and wants to see him well.
The child has two hearts, three legs and four feet, two male organs and had intestines protruding from behind.
It all started on December 4, 2013 when Zimbowa - of Plot 15, Nugget Farm - gave birth to the baby at 8pm.
The baby, christened Tinashe (loosely translated "God is with us") became the talk of the area, with many giving their own theories of how he could have ended up like that.
His father, Charles Mayenzo despite being in shock, hopes for the best.
Even though the reality of the deformities is too much for him, he loves his baby.
While some parents would lock up children with such conditions to keep them safe from prying eyes, Mayenzo and Zimbowa have decided to show the world what it really is like to have a child with multiple deformities.
"This was the shock of my life. The baby has two hearts, two male organs, four legs (two of which are joined), four feet and protruding intestines that are attached to the liver.
"The doctors also advised us that the baby had two hearts sharing the same blood veins," he churned out the list of deformities that shook him most.
He adds: "We were really astonished when the baby was born. Nurses at Marisamhuka Clinic referred the baby to a hospital in Norton where we were transferred to Harare Central Hospital."
The baby's left leg looks normal with both its foot and five toes while the middle leg, known as "double feet", has two feet attached to it.
Of the two feet, the left one has a single toe while the right has a full set of toes. The third leg, on the right, is shorter than the others but has a normal foot.
The baby has two male organs, one on the right and the other of left. The right male organ is not functional and no urine passes through it.
The second male organ on the left, functions normally.
The child has one anal cavity that functions normally.
Mayenzo shares information he has gathered from experts: "When we went to Harare Hospital, doctors said the babies could have been conceived as twins but their development did not go well resulting in them joining. This is why the child had deformities with organs of two people."
He added that the doctors also advised the corrective surgery could only be performed outside Zimbabwe.
Local doctors successfully removed the protruding intestines and the child is already recovering from the procedure.
"We are, however, facing another problem because we cannot get the papers used when the child had surgery at Harare Central Hospital. These hospital papers are required by various organisations and companies that we have approached seeking assistance."
Mr Muyenzo said he had visited the hospital thrice without any joy.
And to make matters worse, Mayenzo was advised that the surgery costs about US$130 000 in India. The money is well beyond their means.
They are desperate for help - any kind of help - to get him to India.
Because of the condition of the child and in search of better medical assistance, the family is currently staying with relatives at Hopley Farm in Harare.
"We are in dire need for help. Our biggest problem is for us to get the required funds so that our baby survives," he pleaded.
Tinashe is their sixth child (he has four brothers and a sister. The oldest is 12 years old).
Sometimes he suspects that a snake which bit Zimbowa during her pregnancy could have caused the condition, but these are just thoughts.
"I have never visited prophets or traditional healers but I have a feeling that something happened to our baby.
"Before the baby was born my wife was bitten by a cobra and spent three months at the same hospital," he revealed.
He said Zimbowa never visited any doctor during her pregnancy for tests.
Medical doctors, however, said the condition was common.
Ministry of Health and Child Care director for Epidemiology and Disease Control Dr Portia Manangazira said Tinashe's deformities likely occurred during his mother's pregnancy.
"This is known as congenital malformation or abnormalities and it can happen to children who were supposed to be born as twins but the genes are disturbed and the babies are not separated and are born on one of the babies' body. This usually happens during the initial stages of pregnancy," she said.
Head of the National PMTCT and Pediatric HIV Care and Treatment in the same ministry, Dr Angela Mushavi, said some helpful information could come from the parents' medical history.
This could determine whether this is the first such incident in the family or not.
"There is need to establish if this ever happened in any of the two parents' families because it is usually associated with their genes which could be deformed leading to such a birth where twins do not develop but born as a single child. There could also be chances of the child failing to grow properly leading to such a case."
Leader of the Zimbabwe National Practitioners Association, Mr Friday Chisanyo, said some deformities where caused by witchcraft while some babies could be affected by their position during pregnancy.
"We, therefore, cannot dismiss that because there are deformities that can affect even the whole family. This is case needs to be probed further," he said.
The family has since approached the Red Cross Society for assistance.
Red Cross Society youth ambassador Tryson Chimbetu visited the family in Hopley and promised to source for help.
"We are aware of the baby's problem and I would like to assure the family that Red Cross will work hard with fellow Zimbabweans so that Tinashe can get assistance," Chimbetu said.
In 2011 a child was born at Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital with two faces, four hands and four legs.
The child was born premature and died soon after being delivered.
The mother reportedly had a huge and painful stomach but doctors had advised her that she had too much fluid. They were surprised to find the baby with several limbs.
Source - kwayedza
