Shiloh Pepin

Shiloh Jade Pepin (August 4, 1999 – October 23, 2009) was born in Kennebunkport, Maine, United States with her lower extremities fused, no bladder, no uterus, no rectum, only 6 inches of large colon, no vagina, and with only one quarter of a kidney and one ovary. Her parents initially anticipated she could expect only a few months of life. At age 3, her natural kidney failed, and she began dialysis. A kidney transplant at age 2 lasted a number of years, and in 2007 a second kidney transplant was successful. She attended Consolidated Elementary School. She remained hopeful about her disease and joked often and lived her life happily, despite her challenges, as seen in her TLC documentary in "Extraordinary People: Mermaid Girl". Shiloh and her family were debating surgery because of the risks involved, even though it would improve her quality of life. Many people who have this condition receive surgery when they are young, but Shiloh was already 8 years old in the documentary and had not received surgery. Shiloh was the only one of the three survivors of sirenomelia without surgery for separation of the conjoined legs. She died of pneumonia on October 23, 2009, at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine, at the age of 10; having appeared all films on the Oprah Winfrey Show on September 22, 2009. Shiloh gained a following of admirers by documenting her condition on TV, Facebook, and the Internet.