From his childhood, Sanju Bhagat was the subject of many mockeries because of his big belly. The most ruthless even accuse her of being pregnant. If they only knew… Son of peasants in Nagpur, India, the child ended up taking his side. Over the years, this phenomenal belly becomes more and more painful. Sanju, who has grown into an adult, finds it increasingly difficult to breathe. Until that day in 1999 when he almost died of suffocation.
His family called an ambulance, which took him to a hospital in Bombay. For the doctors who examine him, it is obvious, this 36-year-old patient suffers from a giant tumor. They give him an x-ray which confirms the diagnosis. All you have to do is operate to remove it.
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“The tumor was so large that it compressed his diaphragm preventing him from breathing,” says Dr. Ajay Mehta. Here’s Sanju asleep on the operating table, guts out. By attacking the mass of unwelcome flesh, the surgeon finds that it is not a tumour. “To my surprise and horror, I was able to shake hands with someone inside. I was completely traumatized,” he later said.
Another doctor assisting him described the scene: “He [Editor’s note: Ajay Mehta] put his hand inside and said there were a lot of bones. He released a first member, then a second. Then a piece of genitalia, hair, jawbones. The audience is petrified with surprise and disgust. The tumor turns out to be a misshapen and incomplete individual. All his life, Sanju had carried his twin in his womb without realizing it. Over the years, it had continued to grow. Although very rare (1 in 500,000 births), this clinical case has a name: “fetus in fetus”. The twin embryo can settle anywhere in the body and even the head. Sometimes there are also several stowaways.
This birth defect occurs when, in the early weeks of a mother’s pregnancy, one of the fetuses nestles around its twin. Soon, the latter finds himself imprisoned in the other, where he nevertheless continues his development up to a point. This is the nightmare experienced by Sanju Bhagat. For thirty-six years it sheltered its twin brother, who enjoyed cover and shelter. As soon as he got rid of the intruder, the Indian farmer regained his form and his breath. Back in his village, Sanju thought he was done with the jeers. Nay! His neighbors began to claim that he had gone to the hospital to deliver a baby.