Six-Legged Baby Does Well After Extra Limbs Removed

A six-legged baby is reportedly doing quite well after having four of his limbs removed. Umar Farooq was born a few weeks ago in Pakistan. The extra limbs were the result of a rare congenital disorder.

According to a report from the Huffington Post, the baby's birth defect could be the result of his parents being cousins. Struggling to survive at birth, the infant was transported to a hospital in Karachi, considered to be the 'economic center' of the province.

The child's father implored local philanthropic agencies, as well as the government, for assistance in paying for his son's operation. The government actually wound up footing the bill.

"We are a poor family. I am thankful to the government for helping us treating my baby," the father, Imran Shaikh said.

Dr. Jamal Raza, the director of the National Institute of Child Health in Karachi, says the condition is a result of the fetus started out as that of conjoined twins. When one of the twins stopped growing, it disintegrated with the exception of the legs, which stayed attached to the thriving baby.

Of course this explanation still doesn't explain why this baby had six legs, does it?

Babies born with the defect this six-legged baby had typically have a plethora of additional serious health problems. This one, however, seems to be fine.

"It was strange that an apparently abnormal baby with six legs was as normal as other children," Dr. Raza said.

Can you imagine the shock this six-legged infant's parents must have experienced at learning their son's condition at birth? They are no doubt thankful beyond belief for the presence of modern medicine that has likely afforded the child the chance to live a normal life.