Brooke Greenberg, 12, weighs 13 pounds and is 27 inches long. Posted on 05/13/2005 10:41:01 AM PDT by LibWhacker
BALTIMORE -- Imagine being frozen in time as a baby forever. It sounds impossible, but it describes Brooke Greenberg.
The Baltimore-area girl may look like a baby, but she's nearly a teenager. In most respects, Brooke looks and acts like your average 6-month-old baby -- she weighs 13 pounds and she is 27 inches long.
Brooke Greenberg, 12, weighs 13 pounds and is 27 inches long.
But Brooke is actually 12 years old, reported WBAL-TV in Baltimore.
Brooke doesn't age. Her syndrome remains undiagnosed and unnamed, and as far as doctors can tell, she is the only one in the world who has it.
Dr. Laurence Pakula has been Brooke's pediatrician since she was born.
"In height, weight, she's 6 to 12 months," Pakula said. "If you ask any physician who knows nothing about her, the response is that she is maybe a handicapped 2-year-old."
Her body may not be aging, but Brooke's health is deteriorating. She is fed through a tube, and she's had strokes, seizures, ulcers, severe respiratory problems and a tumor the size of a lemon.
The four times Brooke has come dangerously close to death, she bounced back and no one knows why.
Pakula points out that the girl has a strong sense of self and of sibling rivalry. Brooke has no language skills, but she does have enough motor skills to pull herself up in her crib or scoot across the kitchen floor.
Pakula said Brooke has thrived because of the support of her parents and three sisters.
"When one sees how much she has accomplished, it's a wonderful reminder that even for someone who's limited, it's a wonderful world out there," Pakula said.
As genetic research expands, scientists might be able to learn the secrets of this little girl. But until then, it is Brooke who is doing the teaching.
Bump for later. What a pretty little girl.
Loving care for the disabled? Don't let the ACLU or some judge get wind of this-they'll be shrieking for her blood.
Very strange, especially that it supposedly has never been seen before. I often assume medical science knows almost everything these days and that if something can't be cured, it most certainly can at least be identified. I guess there is always a lot to learn.
bump for later...
Sounds like whatever she has (obviously some kind of genetic disorder) causes a lot of other health problems. It is possible that others who have had it have died at a younger age and the condition was diagnosed as something else.
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
The same can be said for Terri Shiavo...and would still be said for her if the cultural of death had not snuffed out her life.
Just let someone try to deny this brave girl the right to have food and water....
Wow. This sounds like one of those Weekly World News articles. I never thought such a condition actually existed.
At the age of 21, everyone would quaff a bottle of this stuff.
Pakula said Brooke has thrived because of the support of her parents and three sisters.
Interesting story, good for the parents!
"When one sees how much she has accomplished, it's a wonderful reminder that even for someone who's limited, it's a wonderful world out there," Pakula said."
What a delightful truth coming from a member of the medical profession. How refreshing!
I doubt it since she has so many other health problems. It's a sad story but perhaps something can be learned from it.
Well, if she is destined to age very slowly, imagine the financial portfolio she can build as compound interest works its magic over a 5,000 year period!
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