The Scheme of Life

.......so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most
wonderful have been, and are being, evolved

Charles Darwin "On the Origin of Species"

Friday, November 13, 2009

The Smallest Girl in the World

The two-foot teenager: Jyoti, the world's smallest girl set to make it big on British TV
Her tiny form is disarming. But Jyoti Amge's dreams are as big as those of her friends.
At 15 she stands just 1ft 11½in tall and weighs less than a stone, giving her one very big claim to fame - as the smallest girl in the world.

Doctors believe Jyoti is a pituitary dwarf but have never been able to pinpoint her condition. Such dwarfism is caused when the body fails to produce enough growth hormone.

She works from her custom made chair and table but her pens and books are still rather too large for her

'I am sure there are many people in this world who are dwarfs like me.
'I'm just the same as other people. I eat like you, dream like you. I don't feel any different.'
Weighing 12lb - only 9lb more than her weight at birth, Jyoti dreams of becoming an actress.
Despite her size she insists on living as normal a life as possible in her home town of Nagpur in India - including going to the local school.

'When I first went to school everyone was so big I used to get scared but I'm okay now, I like it. I have a different desk and chair that were made for me. I'm a normal student.'

Jyothi with a 13 month old friend
Baby of the family: With sister Rupali, 18, Archana, 23, mother Ranjana Amge, 45,, father Kishan, 52, and brother Satish, 22

Jyoti is taken to school on brother Satish's motorbike, along with sister Archana
'First I could walk, but I slipped on ice during a holiday and hurt my leg. I find it strange that my legs just don't heal. I don't like it, it causes me pain.'
Mrs Amge said: 'No-one knows why she is so small. Jyoti is small, yet cute, and we love her very much.'

People in the region of India where the family live flock to see the teenager and some even treat her as a goddess. She receives a lot of support from her brother and two sisters. Oldest sister Archana, 25, said: 'I have been taking care of her since she was a small baby. She is so delicate and fragile.'

During her first five years of life, brave Jyoti was in and out of hospital as she constantly fell sick, but eventually she grew stronger.

The teenager's father Kishan Amge, 52, a construction worker, said: 'She makes me proud. Lots of saints and spiritual gurus come to see and bless her. They pray for her happiness and long life.'