Olivia Farnsworth’s story sounds more science fiction than reality. Some time ago, when she was just seven years old, this English girl became famous all over the world for her very strange condition which makes her do not feel pain, hunger or drowsiness.
Olivia is missing part of chromosome 6a genetic alteration unique in the world at the time which earned it the nickname of “bionic girl”.
Olivia Farsworth rose to fame in her native Huddersfield, a city located between Manchester and Leeds, when was run over and dragged more than 20 meters for a car
Far from crying or complaining in pain, she got up and asked her family, who looked at her in amazement. “What is going on?”.
The girl had a tire mark on her chest from the hit and run and he suffered burns to his foot and hip.
As the doctors explained, Olivia was saved by not stiffening at the moment of impact. She remained relaxed and this prevented fractures.
The major histocompatibility complex is located on chromosome 6 and is related to the body’s immune response.
Complete monosomy 6 – the total loss of said chromosome – is incompatible with human life, so Olivia must be missing a part and it is very complex to determine its exact function.
This chromosome contains about 100 geneseach with a different task.
A girl unlike any other
“Chromosomal disorder it makes you immune to pain and has no sense of danger,” his mother Niki Trepak told the Daily mail English.
Although not feeling pain is not the only problem this girl has in her daily life. Her mother explains that she usually isn’t hungry and that’s it can go up to 72 hours without sleepso they are forced to give him sleeping pills to fall asleep.
Her mother said Olivia lived on butter sandwiches for about a year. “he’s not hungryso I can’t threaten her like the other kids saying if you don’t eat you won’t get this because she doesn’t mind.”
The car crash isn’t the only shock to Olivia Farsworth’s family. A few years ago, when I was in kindergarten, he fell and broke his lip.
The girl didn’t even cry despite having mouth full of blood. And after operating on her lip, the doctor who treated her noticed that she felt no pain, as if she were anesthetized.
Even as a child he was not like the rest of his brothers. “Olivia never cried at nine months stopped sleeping normally and her hair didn’t grow well until she was four years old. Despite everything, she is a very happy girl,” Trepak said.
Not for the moment another case is known in the world from a person with the same chromosomal disorder, making Olivia unique.
“There are many families who are going through daily struggles without the rest of the world never heard of these ailments. We need more money dedicated to research for there to be more answers,” said the mother on social media.
For this he has launched a fundraising campaign in Youcaring. The donations will help the University Medical Center of Groningen (Netherlands) to investigate the case of its daughter and others related to chromosomal disorders.
Source: La Vanguardia and Daily Mail
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.