The Hell of Perpetual Youth

[dianahsieh]

By Diana Hsieh from NoodleFood,cross-posted by MetaBlog

Wow: Doctors Baffled, Intrigued by Girl Who Doesn't Age:

Brooke Greenberg is the size of an infant, with the mental capacity of a toddler. She turned 16 in January. "Why doesn't she age?" Howard Greenberg, 52, asked of his daughter. "Is she the fountain of youth?"

Such questions are why scientists are fascinated by Brooke. Among the many documented instances of children who fail to grow or develop in some way, Brooke's case may be unique, according to her doctor, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine pediatrician Lawrence Pakula, in Baltimore. "Many of the best-known names in medicine, in their experience ... had not seen anyone who matched up to Brooke," Pakula said. "She is always a surprise."

Brooke hasn't aged in the conventional sense. Dr. Richard Walker of the University of South Florida College of Medicine, in Tampa, says Brooke's body is not developing as a coordinated unit, but as independent parts that are out of sync. She has never been diagnosed with any known genetic syndrome or chromosomal abnormality that would help explain why.

The whole story is well worth reading. Her medical history is interesting -- albeit in a kind of gruesome way. However, I'm far more disturbed by the way in which the family, particularly the parents, have devoted their whole lives to caring for this perpetual child.

Brooke has a caretaker during daytime hours, but the family's schedule revolves around her, year after year. The Greenbergs take no vacations, have few nights out and involve Brooke in as many family activities as possible. "To go to a swimming pool for the summer, or belong to a summer club ... we tried all those things, and it's lacking something," her mother said. "Brooke's not there. We're not a family without Brooke."

And, of course, Brooke goes to school at taxpayer expense:

Brooke goes to a Baltimore County public school, Ridge Ruxton, dedicated to special education. Based on her age, she would be a junior in high school. Jewel Adiele, one of Brooke's teachers, said she wonders sometimes what Brooke is thinking or perceiving.

Brooke's whole life is a strange kind of tragedy. It's abhorrent to think of her parents caring for her as a perpetual infant until the end of their days, but I cannot see what else they might do. And what will happen to her if she outlives them? Will her siblings inherit the burden, as often happens with severely autistic children? Even worse, the parents seem in the grip of warm and fuzzy feelings for their daughter, not guided by an honest recognition of the degradation and sacrifice involved in caring for a perpetual infant. They're spending their one and only lives on the care of a creature that -- by its very nature -- is more like a pet than a daughter. That's a terrible waste of a life.

Cross-posted from Metablog

[Myself]

Even worse, the parents seem in the grip of warm and fuzzy feelings for their daughter, not guided by an honest recognition of the degradation and sacrifice involved in caring for a perpetual infant. They're spending their one and only lives on the care of a creature that -- by its very nature -- is more like a pet than a daughter. That's a terrible waste of a life.

What do you suggest they do? Put her up for adoption? Sell her to a science lab?

Those "warm and fuzzy feelings" (also known as "love") aren't going to go away no matter what lengths they go to purge them. The only thing they can do is to live their lives as best as they know how, while taking care of their unique ward.

Frankly though, I'm not interested in the parents as much as I am the child. This girl may hold the secret to immortality for the human race. The implications of that are enormous and dire. I hope the scientists researching this know that if they are successful at finding this "anti-aging gene," they're putting their own lives as well as the girl's in jeopardy. Who knows what the future may bring.

Edited June 25, 2009 by Myself

[Thomas M. Miovas Jr.]

This girl may hold the secret to immortality for the human race. The implications of that are enormous and dire. I hope the scientists researching this know that if they are successful at finding this "anti-aging gene," they're putting their own lives as well as the girl's in jeopardy. Who knows what the future may bring.

Maybe, but notice she never reached puberty and never learned how to think, so what good is immortality?

There was a science fiction story along these lines, but I had no idea it could actually occur. A scientists discovered the fountain of youth as a cellular-level biological reset button. The problem was that each day, the reset would occur and he could never advance beyond that day. His memories would return to the previous day, forever. After a hundred years or so, this kept happening, and he became psychologically agitated as his memories reset and he became aware of an unfamiliar future that should have been the present. So they put him in a museum of his own home so he wouldn't have fits everyday as he woke up in the morning.

[objective_guy]

To the original poster: I am very curious, do you have any children? Also if you were the mother of that "un-aging" child what would you do?

[K-Mac]

The land is beautiful until you've lived here for the entirety of your near 20 year life. Sometimes I still like to go up on hills and look at the lake. It's beautiful, but I'd rather there be a skyline.

What does having or not having children have to do with anything? Perhaps this child is a value to her parents and as such, they will not mind caring for her the rest of her life, but that doesn't mean that people without children cannot judge them.