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12-Year-Old Maryland Girl Has Not Aged In Years
The Pittsburgh Channel ^ | 5/13/05

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.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: ageless; aging; disorders; girl; health; healthcare; justdamn; maryland; syndrome; undiagnosed
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To: COEXERJ145


Bingo.

There's no way this has never happened before.


41 posted on 05/13/2005 11:02:28 AM PDT by Josh in PA
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To: LibWhacker

That is too strange.


42 posted on 05/13/2005 11:02:46 AM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (G-d is not a Republican. But Satan is definitely a Democrat.)
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To: fso301

25 for males... 17 for females... lol


43 posted on 05/13/2005 11:02:56 AM PDT by Last_-Rites-
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To: mlc9852

We can always go find a nice breastfeeding-in-public thread . . . that's bound to help your headache!


44 posted on 05/13/2005 11:03:21 AM PDT by Xenalyte (I am at Dr. Venture's lab to right that which is wrong and to repair the torn curtain of time itself)
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To: LibWhacker

I had a cousin with whatever disease this is. He was 12 or something when he died but looked and acted like a slow 2 year old. It was quite sad although he was a good kid.

RIP


45 posted on 05/13/2005 11:03:33 AM PDT by t_skoz ("let me be who I am - let me kick out the jams!")
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To: LibWhacker

I hope this little girl never finds herself in the jurisdiction of George Greer.


46 posted on 05/13/2005 11:04:25 AM PDT by Petronski (Pope Benedict XVI: A German Shepherd on the Throne of Peter)
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To: LibWhacker
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.

Perhaps she is but one of the 4400!

47 posted on 05/13/2005 11:04:57 AM PDT by infocats
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To: goldstategop
Imagine discovering the Fountain Of Youth where Ponce De Leon failed.

The fountain of youth definitely exists in this girl, now the challenge will be to harness it without the side effects she's unfortunately experiencing.

48 posted on 05/13/2005 11:05:30 AM PDT by Reaganwuzthebest
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To: t_skoz

They had those "old kids" on Opra some time ago. They had the exact opposite problems, they were 8- 12 years old but aged and looked like 50-70 year old dwarfs.


49 posted on 05/13/2005 11:06:06 AM PDT by Nathan Zachary
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To: HairOfTheDog

Has anyone brought up abortion yet?

(seems to be on the list of auto-responses ;) )


50 posted on 05/13/2005 11:06:54 AM PDT by najida (OK, so, ya see, uh huh.....I have this stress problem....maybe it's living without running water.)
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To: LibWhacker; Tijeras_Slim; Constitution Day

512 years old.

51 posted on 05/13/2005 11:06:59 AM PDT by martin_fierro (< |:)~)
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To: mlc9852

Heh, heh. I must admit, I felt guilty doing it. ;)


52 posted on 05/13/2005 11:08:17 AM PDT by RobRoy (Child support and maintenence (alimony) are what we used to call indentured slavery)
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To: Nathan Zachary

No, my cousin had something like this girl. When I was a kid I just figured he was mentally retarded or something, but then my parents said "no, he has some disease where he doesn't age". He might have also been slightly retarded too but I don't know. He died a few years ago and I think he was 12 or something, I'm not sure. As I said he was alright. It must have been a strain on his parents, I felt bad for them after I knew.


53 posted on 05/13/2005 11:08:43 AM PDT by t_skoz ("let me be who I am - let me kick out the jams!")
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To: ex-Texan

Yeah, I'll bet researchers are clamoring to get a look at her. Very strange, that's for sure. You've got to wonder if her cells are actually not aging (which is very, very hard to believe), or if it's just a case of profound arrested development.


54 posted on 05/13/2005 11:09:46 AM PDT by LibWhacker
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To: Xenalyte

Yeah, those are a lot of fun. lol


55 posted on 05/13/2005 11:10:13 AM PDT by mlc9852
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To: Petronski

Not every medical condition is that of a person whose brain died and turned into a puddle. Terri died in 1990. Brains do not grow back. If the outcome of the autopsy was contrary to that, we would have heard the screaming long ago. Give it a rest already.


56 posted on 05/13/2005 11:10:49 AM PDT by Nathan Zachary
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To: RobRoy

But you enjoyed every minute of it!


57 posted on 05/13/2005 11:11:30 AM PDT by mlc9852
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To: t_skoz
Was your cousin the size of a two-year old? (As opposed to merely having a youthful appearance, that is.) If so, then the doctors involved in this case would probably love to hear from you and your family. Having another case to study would be invaluable. Any information you and your family could provide to them may go a long way toward saving this child's life.
58 posted on 05/13/2005 11:12:27 AM PDT by Redcloak (Over 16,000 served.)
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To: COEXERJ145

"(obviously some kind of genetic disorder)"

I'm not sure anything's obvious about this case. Who knows, maybe something she ingested when she was six months old triggered a severe brain malfunction.


59 posted on 05/13/2005 11:12:30 AM PDT by Flightdeck
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To: Nathan Zachary
Terri died in 1990.

Give the lies a rest already.

60 posted on 05/13/2005 11:13:10 AM PDT by Petronski (Pope Benedict XVI: A German Shepherd on the Throne of Peter)
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