Brooke Greenberg - An eternal baby?? - 2005

Brooke Greenberg (b. January 8, 1993) is, as of January 8, 2012, a 19 year old girl who lives in Reisterstown, Maryland, which is a northern suburb of Baltimore. She is a very special little person, as she has not aged or changed physically, mentally, or emotionally in the past 15 years. I definitely can at least empathize with her situation, because I have high functioning autism, and well, socially and emotionally, I'm like a four or five year old myself (I get told this by friends and family a lot too). Little Brooke is 30 inches tall (she has grown 3 inches since last time WBAL did this report on her) and now weighs in at 16 lbs. Certainly nowhere near a typical 19 year old in height or weight. She lives with her parents and 3 wonderful sisters who love her very much. There is even a better video of her on Dateline NBC; if you google "Brooke Greenberg Dateline NBC", you will find a 8 minute video that Dateline did on her in 2005 October. She is very cute and as her father Howard calls her, "the most sweetest and kindest person I know of".
Her pediatrician, Dr. Lawrence Pakula, who also studies about autism and Attention Deficit Disorder in children (both of which I have), mentions that people might think Brooke is perhaps a "handicapped 2 year old", but would never think she was 17, if they didn't know her. Brooke doesn't speak, but that doesn't mean she's not smart. (For example, there have been autistic people who have gone to college who don't speak at all and are very smart). She does manage to get around, by scooting on the floor, and at her school (she goes to a special ed school), she manages to get around via a baby walker, so I guess you could say, in a way, she knows how to walk, albeit in a walker.

What is interesting is that no one knows WHY she is like this, doctors have examined her genetic material and have found nothing abnormal. There is no one in the world like her - Brooke is the only one person in the world that is like this. But it doesn't really matter to her parents, they love her no matter what.
She could be the fountain of youth too, if she or someone she knows can discover what makes her this way, she'd be the world's first zillionaire. I mean, I'm sure there's not many people that would want to be 4 years old or 2 years old forever, but probably a large proportion of adults would love to stay 20 forever.

In spite of a stroke she suffered at 5 years of age, and other problems such as 5 stomach ulcers when she was 3 years old, she has blossomed and thrived. She hasn't really had many medical problems since she was 5; she's stabilized, and she is now in fairly good health, except one winter (I think it was 2005) she was hospitalized with a respiratory problem. A true inspiration to anyone, for sure.
I feel actually children and child-like people give more to the world than most adults do. Contribution to society isn't just measured by how much money you have; babies, toddlers, and children contribute every day to the world by being compassionate and caring. Most young children are really far more empathetic, kind, compassionate, nonjudgemental, nonracist, and understanding than most adults are.
We learn to hate and be mean as we grow older.

This video was from a broadcast of WBAL TV in Baltimore.
It was taken in 2005, when Brooke was 12. She is now 19 years old. There are other videos of Brooke on YouTube that are more recent. The ABC talk show 20/20 did a 10 minute segment on Brooke last year in June. There are a few videos on YouTube that shows that segment. Also, TLC (The Learning Channel) did a 1 hour long documentary about Brooke Greenberg's life. It premiered in August 2009, and is sometimes shown as a re-run.

Anyway, certainly a nice little inspiring video and I hope you enjoy this. And also, sorry for my long descriptions / narrations on all my videos so far, I tend to do that.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• Brooke
• Greenberg
• Reisterstown
• Maryland
• eternal
• baby
• ageless
• adorable

[geowhizkid26]

I just realized this...after reading a news article just now about Stephen Hawking that is his 70th birthday today (he can't come to his celebration sadly because he is too ill right now), I realize that Brooke Greenberg and Stephen Hawking have the same birthday. He is exactly, to the very day, 51 years older than Brooke, since she turned 19 today also. Hawking's birthday is January 8th 1942. Found that out on wikipedia. I didn't know both of them had the same birthday!! - Preston

[farah2619]

she needs to move out soon she will be a burden to her parents

[geowhizkid26]

@farah2619 Are you a freaking troll or what?? Brooke needs to move out and live independently? Are you kidding me? Even most NORMAL 19 year olds wouldn't be

capable of doing that, and Brooke has a disability. I'm 35 and with my Autism, I'm

still living with my parents. Where would Brooke move to?? Who would take care of her?? Whatever you are, I would hate to be you because you have no empathy whatsoever - in fact, you're the one who is disabled, not Brooke. Twat.

[smcs]

i'm an aspie.. with her height and VISIBLE disability, she is more acceptable.. while I, will turn 23 on feb 29, 2011 (i know there's no 29 this year.) is forced to GROW UP and act my age. people complain of my habits. i have to have a job, own my own car/house to gain my family's trust & belief in me, and my freedom. They don't understand me and they also force me to understand them. I try to understand them but I really and hardly cannot. why cant they just accept me as i am.

[marianavieira]

We need Dr. House.

[Ne0nLiteZ]

@geowhizkid26 i think hes joking.

[dezmika]

@geowhizkid26 you class that comment as trolling, you must be really dumb and stupid to get offender from that, LOL. Somebody doesn't know what sarcasm is.

[guidomith]

She's NOT the only one

[clapiotis]

@farah2619 what a bad taste of humor!

[narf126]

@geowhizkid26 lol I think he was making a joke.

[geowhizkid26]

@dark12794 I have a friend that lives in Boise, Idaho who has Asperger's and he is emotionally/socially/mentally like a 7 year old. I know of several other people with Autism or Asperger's who are like 7 year olds. Just because SOME people with Asperger's or autism are like 15 year olds, doesn't mean EVERYONE is. Sorry, I'm finding this quite offensive. I can't hold a job for the life of me, do you think that I chose to be that way?? I think you need empathy skills. - Codi Preston

[geowhizkid26]

@dark12794 you're just looking at Asperger Syndrome or Autism from one side. People with Asperger's and Autism function at different levels. I'm still rather like a 4 year old emotionally/socially. I have met a LOT of Asperger's people or mild autism cases where people are emotionally/socially like 15 year olds. But then, I've also

met a lot of people who are like 5 or 6 year olds. You seem to be very egocentric in thinking that EVERYONE with Autism or Asperger's is the same.

[geowhizkid26]

Happy 19th birthday Brooke!! I hope you have a great birthday today and many more to come!! You're growing every year, and I really think you are one of a kind and have a lot of courage and stamina after all you have been through. You certainly have a wonderful personality and have a lot of character traits that I wish other people could have - your kindness, love, and warmth. You have shown the world how wonderful you are.

Happy birthday Brooke!!

Love your friend

Preston from CA