14 DAY TRIAL // It is nearly impossible to tell just by looking at her, but the girl in the photo above is 10 years old. She only looks very much like a 3-year-old due to a rare disease that has stunted her growth.
The girl's name is Enola Hallerton, and she currently lives in the town of Blackburn in the United Kingdom. Apparently, she only measures about 97 centimeters (38.2 inches) in height.
What's more, her mother says that Enola has pretty much stopped growing since she was just 5 years old. Specifically, it appears that, over the past half a decade, the girl has only gained 5 centimeters (about 1.96 inches).
According to Daily Mail, it took doctors and specialists quite a while to figure out why it was that, despite the fact that she was getting older, Enola was not getting any taller. Eventually, they diagnosed her with Morquio's syndrome.
This medical condition is fairly rare, and stunted growth is just one of its symptoms. Interestingly enough, researchers say that, for a short while after birth, people affected by it seem normal. Thus, it takes time for symptoms to occur.
The 10-year-old's mother, Donna Halleron, says that this is precisely what happened when she gave birth to Enola. What she means is that it was only while carrying out extensive investigations that doctors figured out something was seriously off.
“The only thing that doctors did pick up on was that she had positinal talipes which made her foot deformed. It had been stuck in my rib cage when she was in the womb. We were told it would correct itself with physio,” she explains.
“It was only after x-rays and check up appointments that a doctor actually said to me, 'There is only one way to describe Enola’s hips and that is weird',” the 40-year-old woman goes on to detail.
Presently, Enola has to use a walking frame to move about. Her mother is trying to raise money to buy her a mobility car and hopes that this will help the girl get around with more ease and reduce some of the stress on her body.
According to studies on this medical condition, Morquio's syndrome patients almost never grow to be more than 1 meter (3.28 feet) tall. However, their internal organs keep developing all throughout their lives, which puts them at risk for various complications.
What's more, specialists say that, more often that not, people diagnosed with Morquio's syndrome die while in their 20s or 30s. However, it sometimes happens that some of them reach the age of 50 or 60.