We bring to you the curious case of a
real-life Benjamin Button, with a twist. A Brazilian woman, who has neither
aged, nor is getting any younger. Born on May 7, 1981, Maria Audete do
Nascimento still has the body of a baby.
Maria belongs to a poor family, living in a
mud house in Ceara, Brazil. Her family consists of her father and his second
wife, who has been caring for her ever since her own mother died, 13 years ago.
The family cannot afford to provide any form of treatment for Maria, whose
condition could have been reversed if treated at birth. For now, she continues
to live like a baby, unable to tend to her own needs, and unable, even to
speak. The home in which Maria lives, however poor, does not seem short of
love. Her step-mother, Dora, has taken care of the woman-child since the day
she was married. Dora believes that it is the passion of her life, and that the
child was sent to her as a gift of God, to take care of.
Experts from the Faculty of Medicine at the
University of Ceara believe that what Maria suffers from is a severe deficiency
of the thyroid hormone. As a result of hypothyroidism, her body was never able
to develop physically or mentally. They also went on to say that if the case
had been identified early on, Maria may have grown up as a normal
child. The University has agreed to provide free treatment to Maria, to
enable her to be a little more independent – to walk, eat and say a few words.
But for now she is, in some ways, what every parent wishes for – a child that
never grows up.
via Folha Vitoria
Brazilian Woman Looks Like a
9 Month Baby was originally posted at OddityCentral
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