VVelasquez was born prematurely, weighing only 2 pounds, 10 ounces. “I was actually so small that my baby clothes were actually doll clothes from Toys R Us because that’s all that would fit me” she writes.For many people, the idea of eating whatever you want without gaining weight sounds like a dream. But it’s a life long battle for Lizzie Velasquez, a skeletally thin 21-year-old from Austin, Texas who is unable to put on weight even though she consumes 5,000 to 8,000 calories a day.
Lizzie Velasquez has a very rare genetic disorder that only three people in the world are to have. According to doctors, she probably has neonatal progeroid syndrome, a rare condition that causes accelerated aging and an inability to store fat. Abihimanya Garg, MD has said that the medical community has not been able to document older people with NPS and therefore are unable to predict what will happen to Lizzie in the long-run. He said there are a very small number of people with similar conditions.
Lizzie has a weak immune system and has been in hospital many times after catching numerous illnesses. She was born with two brown eyes, but when she was four, her right eye began to change of color and she became blind from that eye.
Despite what her appearance might suggest, Lizzie’s brain, bones, internal organs… developed normally. At 16 Lizzie almost died when her appendix ruptured and at 19 she had a massive blood transfusion because her blood cells were not multiplying properly and she was critically anaemic.
Her weight isn’t her only problem. Among the problems associated with it is her inability gain weight — she has never weighed more than 64 pounds in her 21 years of life. “I eat small portions of crisps, sweets, chocolate, pizza, chicken, cake, doughnuts, ice cream, noodles and pop tarts all day long, so I get pretty upset when people accuse me of being anorexic,” she said.
But her condition doesn’t stop Lizzie from dreaming big and achieving her goals. She remains upbeat despite her difficulties and her uncertain prognosis. She is nearly done with college at Texas State University, she has written a book about her experience with the disorder – Lizzie Beautiful. Lizzie is a budding motivational speaker, and if you are interested in following her on social media: Lizzie on Youtube, Lizzie on Facebook, Lizzie on Tumblr.
References:
The Girl Who Must Eat Every 15 Minutes to Stay Alive
Lizzie Velasquez, Motivational Speaker, Author
University student, 21, eats every 15mins but weighs the same as an eight-year-old
Shocking! This Girl Has to Eat Every 15 Minutes
Dr. Andrew Ebert, an orthopedic surgeon, talks about the corrective foot surgery he performed on Lizzie Velasquez’ right foot
Leave a Reply