CURSE OF THE MERMAID

Sirenomelia, also known as the Mermaid syndrome is one of the rarest deformities during child birth. It is called Mermaid syndrome as the babies are born with their legs joined. In most cases, the child is stillborn and those who survive do not live long. Milagros Cerro´n, born to parents Ricardo and Sara, in Huancayo Peru, is one of the victims of this deformity. Milagros means miracle, and she was rightly named so, as she is one of only three babies in the world to have lived with this deformity. Unfortunately she is born to poor parents in a poor village of Andes, and they could not afford the costs of an operation to separate her legs. Thankfully, the government raised funds for her operation and now she awaits a life threatening operation to separate her legs. The operation is to be conducted by Dr. Luis Rubio, who has great ambitions for a government position. The charismatic doctor decided to use this operation to publicize himself and decided to perform the operation on live television.

While her parents waits anxiously wondering whether their baby girl will get rid of the mermaid’s curse, Milagro’s fight for survival is being turned into soap opera.