Gabby Williams is 8 years old and has not aged because of a “mysterious condition” that keeps her trapped in an infant’s body. Mary Margaret Williams, Gabby’s mother, explained that her daughter has not changed much since she was born.
Williams said: “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.”
Mainstream television played a documentary based on Gabby in 2011; which also featured a 40 year old man who still resembles a 10 year of child.
A woman in Florida has retained her childhood appearance, and a 31 year old Brazilian woman looks like a toddler.
Gabby’s story will be replayed on television when The Learning Channel (TLC) airs a follow-up documentary this week.
Richard Walker, medical doctor, said that Gabby’s condition is a matter of a “genetic off-switch” which prevents the girl from aging.
Gabby is fascinating to scientists because they believe she may hold the key to immortality.
Physiological changes in the human body is facilitated by developmental inertia which is the aging process itself.
Walker said: “Without that process we never develop. When we develop, all the pieces of our body come together and change and are coordinated. Otherwise, there would be chaos.”
It is assumed that the human body does not have a “stop witch” with regard to aging. Walker has observed in other study subjects that when developmental inertia is damaged, the aging process halts.
Walker explained: “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.”
Indeed, Walker believed that the research necessary to discover “biological immortality” should be pursued because people could stop the aging process where it is and never age another day while remaining “physically and functionally able.”
In order to study Gabby, Walker coerced her parents into believing that his work with their daughter could help Alzheimer’s sufferers. The Williams family turned their daughter over to Walker as a guinea pig.
Walker said: “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.”
