Hey, well I guess this was to be expected :)
QuoteTurns out, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" might not have had the most ridiculous plot ever. One 16-year-old girl, who will be the focus of a TLC documentary airing in August, hasn't aged since toddlerhood. She has three sisters ages 22, 19 and 13 who all grew up perfectly normal. But Brooke Greenberg is literally a fountain of youth—she's 16, but still a baby. She's survived numerous medical mishaps including stomach ulcers, a brain seizure, a stroke, and a brain tumor that caused her to sleep for 14 days before waking up, just fine. When she was younger, her parents gave her growth hormone therapy for six months, to no avail––Brooke didn't gain a ounce or grow an inch. She can't talk and still has her baby teeth. Doctor's aren't at all sure why Brooke hasn't aged. While this kind of freaks me out, medical experts believe that her DNA could unlock the key to aging. I just can't believe it took 16 years before the entire world heard about her story.
http://www.thefrisky.com/post/246-girl-who-never-grew/
I missed the news report of it came home too late :( But has anyone seen anything about this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gF9SkmCEEU
She's 17 now anyhow.
God, poor little thing.
I bet the Methuselah foundation is excited about this.
(http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/3575/emotaaaaa.gif)
Has this affected her mind in any way? I mean, it said she cannot talk, but can she write? I also wonder if she can understand baby-speech.
She doesn't have very good control over her limbs they move however they like apparently
There are a bunch of articles about her if you Google her name.
There are a bunch of articles, but I can't find nothing about the test results and what tests have they done :( They said they've tested her samples, but I failed to notice anything about what conclusions they got from the samples.
What I gleaned was that her cognitive abilities are about that of a 2-year-old... she understands quite a bit but can't really talk, just babbles. Her body is actually aging at different rates; for instance, her bones are comparable to those of a 10-year-old. The most interesting tidbit to me was that she apparently had quite a large brain tumor when she was 4, which her doctors were certain was going to kill her, but it went away. Very rapidly. That's not unheard of... just really unusual.
Jesus. This would kill me, if it were my kid.
It must be hard having to go through nappies for around 17 years, the girl has got good parents by the sounds of it. Its not fair for anyone to have to go through with this, but atleast it seems the family is very suportive. Imagine all the diapers they'd have to go through
Quote from: Calamity Nigel on February 10, 2010, 02:02:42 AM
What I gleaned was that her cognitive abilities are about that of a 2-year-old... she understands quite a bit but can't really talk, just babbles. Her body is actually aging at different rates; for instance, her bones are comparable to those of a 10-year-old. The most interesting tidbit to me was that she apparently had quite a large brain tumor when she was 4, which her doctors were certain was going to kill her, but it went away. Very rapidly. That's not unheard of... just really unusual.
Aswell as this, she's had stomach ulcers and a stroke (?!)
Quote from: NotPublished on February 10, 2010, 02:15:50 AM
It must be hard having to go through nappies for around 17 years, the girl has got good parents by the sounds of it. Its not fair for anyone to have to go through with this, but atleast it seems the family is very suportive. Imagine all the diapers they'd have to go through
Quote from: Calamity Nigel on February 10, 2010, 02:02:42 AM
What I gleaned was that her cognitive abilities are about that of a 2-year-old... she understands quite a bit but can't really talk, just babbles. Her body is actually aging at different rates; for instance, her bones are comparable to those of a 10-year-old. The most interesting tidbit to me was that she apparently had quite a large brain tumor when she was 4, which her doctors were certain was going to kill her, but it went away. Very rapidly. That's not unheard of... just really unusual.
Aswell as this, she's had stomach ulcers and a stroke (?!)
All of which she recovered from completely. Whatever is going on in that kid's genes, it's pretty amazing. Sad, but amazing. And then there's the next thought... if she really doesn't age, what happens to her when her parents die? And her sisters?
I'd trip out completely if the cell samples taken were still reproducing or died at a slower rate or something.
Quote from: NotPublished on February 10, 2010, 03:18:44 AM
I'd trip out completely if the cell samples taken were still reproducing or died at a slower rate or something.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HeLa
?! Holy crap
Wow, that's awful.
My first thought was wondering about her mental age and development, soon followed by what NotPublished said. Very difficult on the parents, I would imagine.
Quote from: Template on February 10, 2010, 06:29:09 AM
Quote from: NotPublished on February 10, 2010, 03:18:44 AM
I'd trip out completely if the cell samples taken were still reproducing or died at a slower rate or something.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HeLa
There was something about this on the radio a few days ago; apparently, scientists have made tremendous discoveries from HeLa cells, but the original patient and her survivors were never compensated or recognized... It went as far as the courts declaring that once a person's genetic material was removed from the body, the person no longer has "ownership" of it.
...the unfortunate implications of that are kind of creepy...
I bet those parents regret wishing their other kids would stay babies now.