Update: 12yo Girl Who Has Not Aged

I'm not sure what has happened to the news story about the 12yo girl who has not aged I posted yesterday, but it seems to have disappeared off the face of the Internet. News sites that were carrying it have all removed the story. Here are two versions of the article from Fark.

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.

And...

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.

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.

The only image that I could find is the one above. Here's a cached version of the video that was broadcast along with the news article.

Update (15/05/05): I have another post containing links to older articles/newsgroup postings.

Update (16/05/05): An update has been posted that includes an email response from WBAL.

Update (17/05/05): Here's another email that someone received.

Comments

[Lynne]

Thanks for reposting. I spent almost 45 minutes searching and found nothing. Rarely something disappears like that.

[Nick]

This reminds me of the story I read on the Matrix movie story being plagerized. I saw it one second on drudge and the next it was gone. You wonder why such things are taken. Is it an attempt to cover up a gaff of gullable media or, if the stories are legit, is it an attempt to hide something?

[Carlos Durand]

Mi comentario es en Español les guste o no!
Como es mi idioma natal me espreso mas facilmente y considero mucho esta enfermedad o etapa que se encuentra esta niña.
Nosotros, yo y mi esposa tenemos una hija que ya tiene 4 años y demuestra un problema neurologico al cual ella no se comunica con nosotros, es una niña que necesita la atencion nuestra las 24 horas del dia... ella va a la escuela, pero no habla y no tiene comunicacion con el mundo esterior y untedes no saben lo que en nuestros corazones de mi esposa y mio significa esa situacion con nuestra hija que la adoramos como ustedes adoran a esta nenita tan hermosa... muchos deceos de superacion a cualquier cosa que se presente y darle gracias a Dios que no sea algo tan malo como la muerte.

[Another link]

http://carenlissner.blogspot.com/2005_05_01_carenlissner_archive.html#111646577817246112