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'Surgery saved our ‘pregnant’ baby’s life!’

Just weeks ago ‘pregnant’ toddler Kang Mangru was close to death as her vital organs were slowly being crushed by a twin growing inside her.

Closer told how Kang’s foster parents couldn’t afford life-saving surgery for the extremely rare condition and were preparing to lose their little girl.

However, thanks to a Red Cross appeal to raise money, the surgery to remove the growth took place last week. Kang is now recovering well, and her parents are overwhelmed by the support they’ve had.

“We’re very grateful,” says mum Wang. “We were so worried that she would die.”

The 18 month old desperately needed surgery to remove a parasitic twin growing inside her before it crushed her organs.

But terrified foster parents, Kang Xiqing, 43, and Wang Guihua, 35 – who have a combined income of just £400 a year – couldn’t afford the £1,000 medical bill.

Baby Kang, who was in constant pain and unable to eat solid food because of the pressure the growth was putting on her stomach, is now sitting up in bed and playing with toys following a 10-hour op.

“It’s been hard,” Wang admits. “Our neighbours called Kang a monster – they didn’t understand what was wrong her.”

The childless couple found Kang abandoned in a field in the Henan Province of China in March 2008. She was hours from death when farm worker Wang came across her. After taking her home, she and her husband were allowed to foster her.

“At first she looked healthy,” Wang recalls. “But within months her stomach started swelling. We just thought it was a childhood problem that would sort itself out.”

But Kang’s stomach continued to grow and, by March this year, she weighed 3st – twice as much as a normal 18 month old. Shockingly, her swollen tummy also made her look pregnant.

Wang says: “It just kept growing. We were scared it was a tumour or cancer.”

Doctors diagnosed a “foetus in foetu,” where an unformed twin starts to grow inside the body of the other.

A scan then confirmed that Kang was “pregnant” with a “parasitic twin” – an identical twin that didn’t separate from her in their mother’s womb.

Wang says: “We were shocked and worried when the doctor said she could die without an op. But we couldn’t afford it.”

But after a Red Cross appeal, Kang was finally able to have the life-saving surgery. Wang says: “Before, she used to cry in pain and hold her bump like a pregnant woman. Now we hope she can have a normal life.”

Paediatric consultant Dr Tom Hutchinson said: “It’s a very unusual condition, but a foetus in foetu is essentially a tumour. Children are very resilient, so Kang should be able to lead a completely normal life now it's been removed.”

By Natalie Corp