Risab Dev Ghimire: Amazing Boy in Nepal

This is an amazing story out of Nepal from the BBC. Januk Ghimire's son Risab Dev Ghimire, who is seven months old, has a headless "parasitic twin" attached to his abdomen and was born with extra limbs in Ramechhap, Nepal. Now thousands of people are making the pilgrimage to his small village, where some are honoring him as a god.

Some believe that Risab is the reincarnation of Ganesh, the Hindu elephant God. Ganesh is often portrayed as having several arms. Risab Dev Ghimire was born with four arms and four legs. The impoverished are worried that some see the baby not as a blessing but a curse — the reason why monsoon rains are late.

Risab's mother says that her pregnancy was a hard one, and she was in a great deal of pain before his birth. She told reporters that if it hadn't been for her husband's presence, neighbors might have killed her for being a witch after giving birth to the child. She hopes that someday Risab can have a normal life, but his father says it's unlikely they'll ever have enough money to get him the operation he will need to remove the extra limbs. Cases like Risab's are extremely rare, and occur when twins fail to separate completely from one another.

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