Indian child Roona Begum recovering after hydrocephalus surgery

Tripura, India (CNN) -- The pictures may be difficult to look at, but 18-month-old Roona Begum's story of survival is remarkable.

Soon after she was born in a remote village in northeastern India, Roona was diagnosed with an extreme form of hydrocephalus -- a disorder causing cerebral fluid to build up in the brain.

Doctors had given Roona just a few months to live.

"Day-by-day, her head started growing bigger, she stopped wanting to eat, she would just lie in bed, it became very difficult for us to carry her and take her anywhere," says Roona's father Abdul Rehman says.

Indian baby with 94 cm head recovers

Roona's head grew to a circumference of 94 centimeters, almost triple the size of a normal baby.

There were ten liters of excess fluid inside her brain. Her head was so heavy she could barely move.

Hydrocephalus is more common among infants and older adults. The condition is caused by overproduction, obstruction or lack of absorption of the cerebral fluid in the brain.

The skin of her head has stretched so far, it pulled her eyelids over her eyes, making it impossible for Roona to see.

Her mother, Fatima Begum, would draw eyebrows on Roona with black kohl everyday just to try and make her look more normal.

Her head started growing bigger, she stopped wanting to eat, she would just lie in bed, it became very difficult for us to carry her and take her anywhere.
Abdul Rehman, Roona's father

"She had such a big head, it was scary for people to see her," Fatima explains.

Roona may be Abdul and Fatima's only child, but they couldn't afford to treat her. Roona's 18-year-old father works at a brick kiln earning less than $3 a day. For more than a year and a half, they took care of Roona in their two-room mud hut, with little knowledge or means of doing much else.

In April this year, a journalist took photos of Roona and soon people all over the world including two Norwegian students Natalie Krantz and Jonas Borchgrevink were moved by her condition.

Krantz and Borchgrevink put Roona's photo on a crowd funding website, hoping to raise $1,600 to cover her shunt surgery. In two months, they raised double that amount, and by August 2013, they raised more than $60,000.

They've transferred half of this amount to the charity arm of Fortis Hospital in New Delhi for her treatment. The hospital covered the remaining half of the expenses. The students plan to send the remaining amount for Roona's aftercare.

When Roona arrived at Fortis, her condition shocked even chief neurosurgeon Sandeep Vaishya, who has treated hundreds of children with hydrocephalus.

"We had never seen anything like that and we were completely clueless as to how we'd go about treating her. There was no precedent of treating a child with such an extreme case of hydrocephalus. We learned as we went," Vaishya says.

We had never seen anything like that and we were completely clueless as to how we'd go about treating her.
Sandeep Vaishya, neurosurgeon

Initially, Vaishya wasn't hopeful about the surgery. Roona was malnourished, she had major infections on the back of her head from the pressure of lying down all day, and her skin was very thin and delicate.

Cerebral shunt is the standard treatment for hydrocephalus. It's a simple procedure which involves inserting a drainage tube to keep the fluids flowing at the proper rate. But due to the size of Roona's head and her small, frail body, Roona's treatment was particularly challenging.

Vaishya says the surgery posed a huge risk to her life, and at one point they almost lost her.

Much to the relief of her parents and her doctors, Roona has pulled through.

After five surgeries, Roona's head is now down to a circumference of 58 centimeters, still larger than the average 38 to 48 centimeters, but small enough to allow her to live a reasonably normal life.

She constantly moves her head around, she is playful and most importantly, she can now see. She is finally getting the chance to be the baby she really is.

"It feels really good to see her now, she looks beautiful and happy," Fatima says.

Back in her village, Roona has become the center of attention. It's still painful for her to sit up but she smiles a lot, and her eyes, now visible, keep wandering in a frenzied pace.

"We want Roona to read and write once she grows up. Both of us (mother and father) are illiterate so we don't want her to be like us. We want her to have a bright future," Fatima says.

It's too early to tell if Roona will ever be completely normal in her appearance as several operations still lie ahead, but the signs thus far are promising.

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Attacks kill at least 66 in Iraq, many more hurt

BAGHDAD (AP) — A coordinated wave of bombings tore through Shiite Muslim areas in and around the Iraqi capital early Wednesday, part of a wave of bloodshed that killed at least 66 people and wounded many more, officials said. The blasts, which came in quick succession, mainly targeted residents out shopping and on their way to work.

In addition to the bombings, the death toll included seven Shiite family members killed when gunmen raided their home and shot them as they slept.

People inspect damages of a car bomb attack in the Sha'ab neighborhood of Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2013. A coordinated wave of bombings tore through Shiite Muslim areas in and around the Iraqi capital early Wednesday, killing scores and wounding many more, officials said. The blasts, which came in quick succession, targeted residents out shopping and on their way to work. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

The attacks are the latest in a relentless wave of killing that has left thousands dead since April, marking the country's worst spate of bloodshed since 2008. Coordinated waves of car bombs have hitBaghdad repeatedly each month, sometimes as often as twice per week.

The violence raises fears that Iraq is hurtling back toward the brink of a civil war fueled by ethnic and sectarian differences.

On Wednesday, insurgents deployed explosives-laden cars, suicide bombers and other bombs and targeted parking lots, outdoor markets and restaurants in predominantly Shiite neighborhoods of Baghdad, according to officials. A military convoy was also hit south of the capital.

People inspect the site of a car bomb attack in Sadr City, Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2013. A coordinated wave of bombings tore through Shiite Muslim areas in and around the Iraqi capital early Wednesday, killing scores and wounding many more, officials said. The blasts, which came in quick succession, targeted residents out shopping and on their way to work. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed

Security forces sealed off the bomb scenes as ambulances raced to pick up the wounded. The twisted wreckage of cars littered the pavement while cleaners and shop owners brushed away the debris. At one restaurant, the floor was stained with blood, and dishes were scattered on plastic tables.

The northern neighborhood of Kazimiyah, home to a prominent, gold-domed Shiite shrine, was the worst hit. Two bombs went off in a parking lot, followed by a suicide car bomber who struck onlookers who had gathered at the scene. Police said 10 people were killed and 27 wounded in that attack.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the day's attacks, but they bore the hallmarks of the Iraqi branch of al-Qaida. The group frequently targets Shiites, which it considers heretics, and employs coordinated bombings in an attempt to incite sectarian strife.

The Shiite family shot dead at home were found in the largely Sunni town of Latifiyah, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) south of Baghdad. Three children, ages eight to 12, were killed along with their parents and two uncles in that attack, according to police.

Authorities said they had previously fled the town after being threatened, and returned only three weeks ago.

Many of the day's blasts targeted morning shoppers. Among them was a parked car bomb that detonated in a commercial area in the northern Shaab neighborhood of Baghdad, killing nine and wounding 25.

More parked car bombs went off in outdoor markets in the sprawling slum of Sadr City, where five were killed and 20 were wounded. Similar attacks hit the northeastern neighborhood of Shula, killing three and wounding nine; the southeastern Jisr Diyala in an outdoor market, killing eight and wounding 22; and the eastern New Baghdad area, killing three and wounding 12.

Blasts also hit the neighborhoods of Bayaa, Jamila, Hurriyah and Saydiyah, claiming a total of 12 lives.

In Mahmoudiyah, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) south of Baghdad, a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a restaurant, killing five and wounding 25.

And in Madain, about 25 kilometers (15 miles) southeast of Baghdad, a roadside bomb struck a passing military patrol, killing four soldiers and wounding six others.

Medical officials confirmed the casualty figures, which included more than 180 wounded. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information.

The violence follows months of protests by Iraq's Sunni minority against the Shiite-led government that began late last year. Attacks have been on the rise since a deadly security crackdown by security forces on a Sunni protest in April, while the increasingly sectarian nature of the civil war in neighboring Syria is inflaming Iraq's own long-festering differences between Sunnis and Shiites.

In response, clerics and other influential Shiite and Sunni leaders have called for restraint, and security forces have tried to ratchet up counterinsurgency operations.

More than 500 people have been killed so far in August, according to an Associated Press count.

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Selena Gomez Loved Lady Gaga at VMAs … but What About Miley?

  

Selena Gomez at the premiere of 'Getaway' (Getty Images)
Talk about a quick "Getaway."

After dancing all night in NYC with BFF Taylor Swift at MTV's Video Music Awards on Sunday, Selena Gomez was back in L.A. on Monday evening for the premiere of her new Warner Bros.film.

"My feet are killing me, I'm not going to lie," Gomez, 21, told reporters on the carpet.

But the pain was worth it!

"It was good," Selena smiled while reflecting on the previous night's festivities, where she took home a Moonman for Best Pop Video.

"Honestly, I was really impressed with Lady Gaga," the "Slow Down" singer said when talking about her favorite moment. "Not that I should be impressed because she's absolutely stunning, but it was really crazy. We were all being run backstage back and forth, so it was great to be able to catch her [performance]."

As for Miley Cyrus's twerking, Gomez diplomatically responded she thought it was "great" when a reporter on the carpet asked for her thoughts on the controversial moment. Funny to note that while posing on the carpet last night, Gomez stuck her tongue out seemingly giving photogs her best Miley impersonation.

However, Selena's VMA appearances may be numbered because following her Stars Dance tour,Justin Bieber's ex is going to take a break from music to focus on acting.

So what project is she eyeing next?

A few years ago it was announced that Gomez was attached to play the lead role in the film adaptation of "Thirteen Reasons Why." Universal acquired the rights to the New York Times best-selling young-adult fiction novel in 2011 although there hasn't been much news on the project since then.

The book centers around Clay Jensen, a student who discovers a box on his porch of several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker — his classmate and crush — who committed suicide two weeks earlier. On the tapes, Hannah (who would be played by Gomez) explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life and why he is one of them.

"Yes, I am [still attached to the project]," Selena told omg!. "It's a very — because I'm very hard and my mom is as well with books — it's very hard with books to translate them. So we want to make sure it's absolutely perfect before I do anything, whether it's to TV or film."

Selena emphasized to omg!: "I absolutely love that project and want to be a part of it."

Gomez currently stars alongside Ethan Hawke in "Getaway," which hits theaters August 30. The high-speed thriller is about a former race car driver (Hawke) who hijacks a young woman's car (Gomez) in order to try and save his wife who has been kidnapped.

"I wanted to play something that was really different. I feel like it's too easy for me to take on a role that could be the same role that I've played for years," Selena said when asked what attracted her to this film. "I wanted to be something that was completely different. [My character] was such a badass and I was attracted to that. She knew a lot about technology and cars, and I was super stoked to take on this role.

"Unfortunately, I'm not a good driver … I'm a very slow driver and I'm very cautious, so it's good I'm not the one to be in the driver seat in this movie," laughed the star. "Ethan and I talked about what we would do if we were in [a hijacking] situation in real life — he would be great, but I would be crying."

Take a look at Selena (tongue out and all) at the 'Getaway' premiere last night in our gallery!

Take a look at Selena (tongue out and all) at the 'Getaway' premiere last night in our gallery! Selena Mocks Miley: Selena Gomez does a near dead-on impression of fellow Disney alum Miley Cyrus at the premiere of her new big-screen thriller "Getaway" on Monday in Los Angeles. Since their Disney days, Gomez and Cyrus have made very different career moves as they transition into adulthood. Sure, they've both pursued acting and continued pop stardom, but Miley's tongue-out twerk at Sunday's VMAs is far from anything we've ever seen from Gomez — whose most provocative career move to date has been her bikini-clad appearance in the indie crime flick "Spring Breakers" earlier
this year

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