With a multi-billion anti-aging market out there, it's no surprise that people are looking for ways to preserve their youth and freeze their biological clock. As such, it's only natural that the case of the 8-year-old that never ages has captivated medical professionals and televisions viewers alike. Here's the story: 8-year-old Gabby Williams of Montana may be well into her childhood, but she still looks like a newborn baby. The "8-year-old never ages" case has reportedly stumped the medical community and the young girl is the case study for biological immortality.
Can Gabby Williams reveal the fountain of youth or at the very least, tell scientists how to slow the body's clock? According to medical researcher Richard F. Walker, some people have a slowed developmental process.
"In some people, something happens to them and the development process is retarded," explains Walker. "The rate of change in the body slows and is negligible. My whole career has been focused on the aging process. My fixation has been not on the consequences but the cause of it."
Gabby Williams only weights 11 pounds and her mother cares for her as if she is still a newborn. She captivated the nation last year and on August 19, she will be featured on a TLC television special titled "40-Year-Old Child: A New Case" at 10:00 p.m. EDT.
"Gabrielle hasn't changed since pretty much forever," said her mother, Mary Margret Williams, 38, to ABC. "She has gotten a little longer and we have jumped into putting her in size 3-6 month clothes instead of 0-3 months for the footies. Last time we weighed her she was up a pound to 11 pounds and she's gotten a few more haircuts. Other than that, she hasn't changed much since the [2012] show."
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Gabby Williams is not the only person who has suffered from this mysterious condition, as ABC News reports that there is a 29-year-old man in Florida who has the body of a 10-year-old and there is a 31-year-old Brazilian woman who has a body of a 2-year-old.
Scientists have decode the genes in these individuals to see what is slowing the aging process in their bodies. And while these individuals never age, they are not immortal, as they will still die as their peers.
"If we could identify the gene and then at young adulthood we could silence the expression of developmental inertia, find an off-switch, when you do that, there is perfect homeostasis and you are biologically immortal," explains Walker to ABC.
But if you think scientists are looking into Gabby for a superficial anti-aging regimen, think again! Gabby's genes could provide insight into preventing many diseases and conditions that come with the aging process, namely, Alzeheimer's.
"Alzheimer's is one of the scariest diseases out there," Gabby's mom Mary Margret says. "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."
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