Chip Chick
Imagine being a 22-year-old woman who physically looks like an 8-year-old girl. Shauna Rae lives a life of being judged and literally minimized every day because of her looks.
When she was an infant, she developed a rare brain cancer, making it necessary to undergo chemotherapy.
As a result, she suffered the dramatic side-effect of stunted growth. “My pituitary gland was rendered almost dormant because of the chemotherapy. The doctor told me I was done growing. My bones were fused, and my height is 3 feet and 10 inches,” said Shauna.
Trying to live a normal life beyond childhood has been a challenge for Shauna. She is always treated like a child. We get a chance to see her everyday life this January in a new TLC series, “I Am Shauna Rae.”
She lives with her parents and is “protected” by her ever-loving family. Her mother says she feels “almost guilty that she will have to go through this for the rest of her life. So, all I can do is protect her.”
I cannot imagine being a teenager, not going through traditional “growing pains,” and not experiencing the rites of passage of the transition from childhood to adulthood.
“Even though I can’t physically grow up, I desperately want to be treated like a grown-up,” Shauna explained.
Just looking at her, it’s tough to believe she’s 22-years old. If I saw her at a bar or out on a date displaying affection with a “typical” person of her age, I would assume she was a child and be shocked, wondering if I should try to intervene for human trafficking or even worse.
TLC; pictured above is Shauna
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