Some say she's a walking miracle, but Gabby Williams is the answer science has been waiting for. At eight years old, weighing just 11 pounds, the little girl who doesn't age may hold the key to immortality.
According to an article in the Digital Journal, Gabby still needs to be cared for like an infant. Her mother Mary Margret Williams, who must still change her diapers and feed her several times a day, has allowed researchers to study her incredible daughter in an attempt to understand more about the aging process.
Though her skin is still baby-soft, and her hair super-fine, Gabby has grown a little bigger over the passing years, now wearing 3-6 month clothes instead of 0-3 months. While many of us long for the baby phase to last a bit longer, can you imagine it dragging on for years?
Gabby's syndrome is so rare that it doesn't even have an official name. TLC has made a new documentary about it, entitled "40-Year-Old Child: A New Case," which features Gabby, a 29-year-old Florida man who looks like he's just 10, and a 31-year-old Brazilian woman who passes for a toddler.
In the special, Richard Walker, the doctor involved in Gabby's case, describes the genes he believes are responsible for what he calls "developmental inertia."
Though her parents were initially skeptical about their daughter being studied, Walker's research is aimed at helping understand Alzheimer's disease.
"If what Gabrielle holds inside of her would find a cure—for sure we would be a part of the research project. We have faith that Dr. Walker and the scientific community do find something focused more on the disease of aging, rather than making you 35 for the rest of your life." Then there's the woman, who had the opposite condition.
Printer-friendly version