The smallest girl in the world, five-year-old Charlotte Garside, whose height has so far stopped at 68 cm, recently took a huge step into her difficult life. She went to elementary school. With her weight of 4.5 kg, Charlotte looks more like a doll than a human.
Such features are associated with its rare disease — primordial nanism. The parents of the British «Thumbelina» decided to send their daughter to the most ordinary school in East York (East Yorks), hoping that the education will help her lead a normal life.
Emma Newman, Charlotte’s mom, says:
«Of course, I was worried that Charlotte might get hurt by other children. But her personal mentor will keep an eye on her, and she herself is not as fragile as you think.» Newman adds: «she may be a small person, but’ she’s a big person, and she wants to do everything that normal children do at the age of five.’
Tiny Charlotte’s illness, according to her mother Emma and father Scott, does not prevent the girl from showing a keen interest in the world around her. Despite the fact that this disease has delays in mental development, in the case of Charlotte, the school staff determined that it corresponds to the level of development of a three-year-old child. This is a very good result.
Primordial nanism is a special form of stunting. Nanism means dwarfism, and primordial — primary, embryonic, that is, formed during the development of the fetus in the womb. So far, little is known about this pathology. Garside, like other children with this condition, has an underdeveloped pituitary gland, which is responsible for regulating the hormonal system.
Baby Charlotte was born weighing about 1 kg with a height of 25 cm. Then only the dolls ‘ clothes were suitable for her. Doctors unanimously claimed that the girl would live less than a year. But they were wrong, even though Garside’s health literally hangs in the balance due to a weakened immune system. Today, she still wears clothes for newborns, but in height she has already slightly overtaken her beloved cat.
Charlotte has three sisters, 15-year-old Chloe, 12-year-old Sabrina and eight-year-old Sophie. All three girls are normal height. Chloe says about her unusual sister like this:
«It may look like a doll, but it’s essentially made of solid material. She likes to run around the house and run around like a madman.at the first meeting with her, people are afraid that she can «break» if they just touch her. But she’s also a bully who can’t sit still for a second.»
Thumbelina’s parents are optimistic. Emma adds:
«Charlotte can surprise when you least expect it from her. We don’t know how long she will live … we don’t know if she will be able to communicate with people, and there were times when we thought we would lose her.but she continues to live, and I can’t wait for the changes that next year will bring.»