Baby Sam Esquibel Operated For Brain Tumor That Contained Foot, Thigh And Hand

Three-day-old Sam Esquibel was operated for a brain tumor at Memorial Hospital for Children in Colorado Springs. Upon removing the growth, doctors discovered it contained a fully-formed foot in addition to another partially-formed foot, hand and thigh.

The operating doctor, Dr. Paul Grabb, said:

“It looked like the breach delivery of a baby, coming out of the brain. To find a perfectly formed structure (like this) is extremely unique, unusual, borderline unheard of.”

The tumor may have been a “fetus in fetu,” an occurrence where one fetus begins growing in another. We’ll admit to totally friggin’ loving this sort of thing. We’re obsessed with teratomas:

The tissues of a teratoma, although normal in themselves, may be quite different from surrounding tissues, and may be highly inappropriate, even grotesque: teratomas have been reported to contain hair, teeth, bone and very rarely more complex organs such as eyeball, torso, and hand. Usually, however, a teratoma will contain no organs but rather one or more tissues normally found in organs such as the brain, thyroid, liver, and lung.

Aaaaawwweeeesome. There have also been cases where one twin absorbs another:

A vanishing twin is a fetus in a multi-gestation pregnancy which dies in utero and is then partially or completely reabsorbed by the mother or twin.

But, wait! There’s more:

Occasionally, rather than being completely resorbed, the dead fetus will undergo mechanical compression by its wombmate(s), resulting in a flattened, parchment-like state known as fetus papyraceus.

Best. Stationery. Ever.

Tumor in Colorado newborn’s brain contained foot [AP]
Teratoma [Wiki]
Vanishing twin [Wiki]