JE WAJUA?

Mwanamke mmoja katika mji wa Texas nchini Marekani Lizzie Vellasquez analazimika kula chakula kila baada ya dakika 15.Kwa siku hula chakula kinachoupa mwili wake kalori 5000 hadi 8000 lakini hanenepi na bado ana uzito wa kilo 25 tu.

Lizzie mwenye urefu wa sentimeta 157 ni mwanafunzi wa chuo kikuu huko Texas. Madaktari wameshindwa kuugundua ugonjwa unaomsumbua Lizzie lakini wanaamini kuwa hali hiyo inasababiswa na upungufu wa kimiminika cha amniotic kilichokuwa kikimlinda alipokuwa tumboni mwa mama yake.

Lizzie alizaliwa akiwa na uzito wa gramu 920 na madaktari wanashindwa kuelewa amewezaje kuishi miaka mingi kiasi hiki!

Alipokuwa na umri wa miaka mine Lizzie alipoteza jicho lake moja lakini mwenyewe anasema kuwa ameikubali hali hiyo aliyonayo na hufurahi kupata marafiki wapya.

Lizzie hivi sasa anaandaa kitabu kuhusiana na maisha yake ya kila siku.

TEXAS WOMAN NEEDS TO EAT ALL DAY LONG TO SURVIVE

Twenty-one year old Lizzie Velasquez is not anorexic, despite what some may think. In fact, the fifty-six pound woman with zero percent body fat eats around sixty small meals a day, consuming anywhere between five thousand and eight thousand calories daily. Born a month premature and weighing just over two pounds, doctors have stated that it is a miracle she even survived then. Now, she must eat every fifteen minutes in order to continue surviving.

Velasquez has been tested for numerous diseases and genetic disorders, but no one can seem to figure out exactly what is going on with her body. She is currently involved in a study at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas to see if they can’t determine what is going on with her. Professor Abhimanyu Garg is running the genetic study and he seems to think that she may have Neonatal Progeroid Syndrome (NPS), which is a disorder that does not allow people to gain weight. The disorder also typically causes premature aging.

Each case of Neonatal Progeroid Syndrome is different, so doctors cannot really conclude how exactly Velasquez’s life will continue. What they do know is she must continue consuming the large number of calories daily for her to continue living. Her vision is also suffering, and she is blind in one eye. Despite what Velasquez is dealing with and the uncertainty of her diagnosis, she remains upbeat and happy. She is currently attending college and hopes to become a motivational speaker.