I was watching the HBO documentary Chernobyl Heart yesterday, which profiles an Irish group that seeks out and assists those still affected by the radiation of the 1986 disaster.
In one scene, she goes to a hospital that has essentially become a baby dump site for women whose infants were born severely disfigured and disabled. While holding one toddler (who had the appearance of an infant) she described her condition–she was born with the brain outside the skull, and that her brain instead rests behind it. My initial reaction was I’d misheard her. Then they showed the back of the baby. Oh. My. God.
There it was, behind her head–a brain-shaped, skin-covered bag attached to the back of her neck. I heard nothing else said as that image burned into my corneas.
So basically–WTF?! What is the name of this condition? How “common” is it for a child to LIVE under such circumstances? And how functional is that brain? Obviously it’s functional enough to keep the vital systems operating, although perhaps her brain stem was still protected.
The child had a sort of lifeless look to her, similar to what is seen in patients with severe brain damage or post-coma–eyes open, but unseeing. I repeat…W…T…F?!